


Tech Support

by forlornTimekeeper



Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: 2014 movieverse, F/M, I blame the fandom, Other, Raphril - Freeform, Sexual Themes, Swearing, TMNT, because why not, but there is love interests, donnie/oc - Freeform, evetually, if i ever get that far, mostly just having fun writing out their personalities
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-16
Updated: 2016-06-16
Packaged: 2018-02-17 14:31:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 88,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2312966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/forlornTimekeeper/pseuds/forlornTimekeeper
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was hard enough being April O'Neil's intern pupil, simply because she had been the laughing stock of Channel 6 news ever since that Sachs incident. But she wants me to help her with the stupid 'Vigilante' story without giving me any information. Jesus, throw me a bone here, I'm not Batman.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is stupid fanfiction drabble that I write in between classes during my three hour breaks. I'm only putting it on here so I can link it to tumblr, but please feel free to leave feedback!

The clock read just a few minutes shy of 10pm, and by the looks of the unyielding bleakness outside, it certainly wasn’t giving any sort of slack. The floor was just about empty of employees, save for the ones who didn’t have anything better to do, had a report due the next morning, or were under the classification of ‘intern’. And being the intern she was, working late hours was almost an unspoken expectation that the officials didn’t feel like they should be bothered to include it in the contract. After all, they were probably going to hire her anyway, and she might as well get used to it sooner rather than later.

She looked up from the monitor, her nimble fingers slowing their rapid typing as she surveyed the room. Yep, other than her mentor, there were only two workers and the coffee guy left. God bless that coffee guy.

Huffing under her breath, she returned to the last measly paragraph of her report, which was technically a rough draft, but ever since high school she never bothered with the things. What was the point in a rough draft if you could write anything almost perfectly the first time? Admittedly her teachers, mostly the prissy old widow that taught Journalism II, had scolded and warned that sometimes ‘superiors value the rough draft as a means to show the capability of improvement’. Bullshit.

_I’d like to see them try to chew me out for turning in a complete article. Rough drafts are_ not _part of my contract._

Maybe it was her inner rebel surfacing, as petty as it was, but growing up in a boarding school – which was just a fancy way of saying orphanage – had forced her into doing things exactly as everyone else wanted them done, and expressing one’s self in the classroom environment was a ‘no no’. Of course she was thankful that she wasn’t an actual orphan, like quite a few of the kids she’d grown up with, it was just that she was too uncouth to hang around her posh aunt and uncle.

She shook her head as she finalized her report, saving it onto her flash drive in record time. Dwelling on such heartless family members wasn’t good for the psyche, no matter how much she’d gone over the speech in her head of what she’d say to them if they ever dared to show their face agai-

“You ready to get moving?”

The girl jumped halfway out of her chair and nearly flung her USB across the room. “Jesus, April, either give me heart attack or just, you know, _don’t_ sneak up on me?”

April O’neil, probably the hardest working reporter in the entire state of New York, could be really inconsiderate sometimes, especially when it came to her pupil, and it was only ever on purpose. “You’re only jumpy because I put you on that Foot Clan report,” she teased.

“Well yeah! They freak me out. Of course, they are only ninjas with _guns_. I’m just being over dramatic right?” She stood and shouldered her bag, stepping around April to head towards the elevators.

The scoff was all in good fun, but it earned April a hot little glare. “Yes, Katrin, you are.”

Katrin shuddered, rolling her eyes. “Don’t say it like that, it sounds like your scolding me.”

“Maybe I am scolding you,” April replied, stepping into the enclosed space after the other. The ride down was silent as always, apart from the loud noises indicating that both had just run out of lattes.

After they went through the ritual of punching out and flashing their extra ‘intern – mentor’ IDs, they headed for home. Ever since April’s last roommate had left, undoubtedly due to the fact that April was surely insane and unfit to live with, the space had been available for some months. Truthfully, April didn’t enjoy living alone as much as she thought initially, so she happily spared Katrin of the awkward ‘which roommate on Craigslist has the least percent chance of murdering me in my sleep’ phase. She’d seen plenty of those stories floating around the office in her multitude of experienced years.

And when it came right down to it, April quite enjoyed Katrin as a roommate. She cleaned up after herself, encouraged the sharing of chores, split the bills, and even covered take-out from time to time. But above all, she knew and respected that, as per the nature of their jobs, work often followed them home.

“I’ve got another report due in the morning, so I’ll probably be up late again, but I think there’s still leftovers in the fridge,” April said absentmindedly, putting her things away in their respectful locations before shrugging out of her coat.

Katrin groaned, following in her steps. “You mean that one on the vigilantes that you _still_ refuse to tell me about? The same story I’m supposed to be _helping_ you with without any information whatsoever?”

April opened her mouth to retort, of course with the same spiel as always, before it was recited for her.

“I know, I know, ‘It’s on a strictly need to know basis and you don’t need any more information in order to do your job’,” she mimed, striking her best impersonation pose. As her mentor pursed her lips, she continued on. “You know, I’m starting to get the feeling that this has something to do with the escalating number of nights you spend elsewhere. You dating one of these vigilantes or something?”

The color of red that boiled in April’s cheeks had betrayed her, and as hard as she tried to fight it, she knew anything she said would only dig her grave a little deeper. “Hey, my personal affairs are personal, and you can’t just-“

“Hot damn, April!” Katrin said, folding her arms across her chest with a flashy smirk. “You _have_ been holding out me.”

April glowered and turned on her heels, making a beeline for their shared at-home laptop. “I haven’t been holding out, just exercising my right to withhold information.”

With a smug nod Katrin waltzed over to the couch and laid her chin in her hands, smiling childishly at the other. “So, what’s his name?”

“No.”

“Where’s he from?”

“No.”

“What’s he look like?”

“ _Hell no._ ”

Katrin sighed in defeat. “You sound like you’re ashamed of him or something, you know that most guys are really insecure about that kind of thing? I’m gonna tell him.”

April sagged in the office chair, accepting that she may very well have to fight for enough peace and quiet to work anywhere near effectively. “If anything, you’ll be too intimidated to say ‘hi’.”

At this Katrin perked up again, her college level youth bouncing her back from her short-lived defeat. “So I _will_ get to meet him!”

“At this point, it’s basically inevitable. But I really don’t want to discuss it at this current moment in time.”

More than pleased with the confirmation at a chance to embarrass April to death in front of her boyfriend, she wrote off her mentor’s soured attitude, making up for it with a late night snack and one last cup of coffee before bed.

She retired to bed within the hour, wanting to give herself ample time to begin forming a list at April’s expense before she fell asleep. Surprisingly, she got all the way to eight, and the next thing she knew, the sunlight was pouring in through the curtains.

Katrin reached over the bedside table, her hand feeling about for the familiar shape of her phone. She raised her head just enough to see the screen from over the edge of her pillow, almost surprised that she’d woken up, of her own accord, before the alarm went off. She set her phone back down and forced herself from the layered cocoon she’d been wrapped up in.

A quick once-through of the apartment confirmed that it was empty of April, a short scrawled note on the kitchen bar offering nothing but a vague explanation. Apparently Katrin had had the place to herself since around two in the morning, and would still until the evening. With a groan of childish distraught of being denied for her curiosity, she opted for a quick shower and whatever breakfast option that would yield the most sugar.

It was Tuesday, and, being the genius at scheduling that she was, she’d only have six hours worth of classes to pose as any sort of responsibility. She surprised herself sometimes, at how well she was able to balance her college courses, her demanding internship, and the part time job as a dance instructor that kept her from mooching off her roommate.

Admittedly, she sometimes wished she’d gone for the hour and a half twice a week option for her classes, but only because three hours of statistics bored her to the point of near hysterics. It wasn’t even math most of the time, it was punching numbers into a calculator and being far beyond thankful that one problem then took only twenty seconds rather than twenty minutes. Journalism was at least engaging to some degree or another, but hours of pushing buttons and screaming because you fucked on a problem on step two only to realize it seven steps later could really send someone into fits.

By the time four in the afternoon rolled around, Katrin nearly screamed and made a point to be the first one out of the classroom. _As soon as I get home I’m eating whatever’s left of those donuts and April can kiss my ass. I deserve them._

She drove home as quickly as the speed limit would allow, giving herself a fair margin of fifteen miles per hour, thinking blissfully of the scarce handful of powdered donuts that awaited her. When college is as physically draining as it is mentally, you learn very quickly to live for the little things.

The flight up the stairs proved to be an easier task than normal, and as she entered the small apartment and dropped her bag to the floor hastily, she sighed happily. Home at last. Even the donuts that were nestled in the cardboard box on the counter seemed giddy at her arrival. Yeah, college had really done her in.

Eight donuts and an episode of ‘The Big Bang Theory’ later April was unlocking the front door, calling out to her roommate who she knew to be lounging shamelessly on the couch.

“I honestly half expected you to say ‘honey, I’m home’,” Katrin mused, smiling gingerly as the other went through her ritual of shedding her work coat and filing away whatever she’d been forced to bring home.

April laughed tartly, “I almost did.” She disappeared into her room for a moment before returning in her favored pair of yoga pants and an oversized shirt, sliding tiredly into the chair beside the couch. She encouraged the laptop to life, keeping her fingers crossed as the windows screen loaded at a painfully slow rate. Though, she let her head fall harshly on the table as her praying was in vain.

“Oh no… what happened?” Katrin didn’t need an answer as she turned her head, practically growling at the sight of that cruelly infamous blue screen of death. “Are you kidding me, again!?”

Okay, yes, it was a laptop that Channel 6 had lent them, so of course it was in barely usable condition – which was probably on purpose to encourage their employees to stay later without extra pay – and was in need of constant attention. Usually, with most computers, a quick manual power off and reboot would prove sufficient until the problem could be properly handled. This one, however, was not so kind. Blue screen meant ‘it’s time to take me to shop and pay more money out of your pocket to fix me than it would cost to buy a new one because I’m company property and can’t legally be replaced’.

April rubbed at her temples, already exhausted at the thought of having to wake up earlier than usual so she could get the thing in working condition before work the next day, because there was nowhere open at this hour.

“We cannot afford to keep fixing this thing, and what’s the point if we know it’s just gonna do it again?” Katrin whined, heaving herself from the couch to double check to make sure that, in fact, all of the companies Channel 6 allowed to repair their equipment were closed. “This is stupid. Isn’t there anywhere we can take this thing that won’t care if they’re not legally allowed to work on it?”

At this April’s head flew up from the desk, and she began digging in her pockets for her phone. She pulled it out hastily and hesitated, it was only a little after five, maybe she should wait a little while. One glance at the daunting blue screen was, however, more than enough to convince her that she was in fact desperate.

As she scrolled through her contacts Katrin glared at her from the kitchen. There was absolutely no way in hell someone was open after five that was actually willing to illegally repair their computer. There couldn’t be. But she waited patiently as April began to converse with whoever this potential saint might be.

“Hey, Donnie, I’m really sorry if I woke you up,” she said sheepishly.

Katrin furrowed her brow and crossed her arms. _Who the hell is sleeping at this time of day on a regular enough basis for her even assume the possibility of waking them up?_

“Are you sure? I mean, I wouldn’t ask if I wasn’t desperate… Well I mean technically it’s company property and… Yeah, and they’re all closed and I _really_ need it by morning… Oh my God you are a saint,” April sighed, smiling as if some weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

By now Katrin was nearly fuming, and ignored the blatant disregard for respect of her roommate still being on the phone. “Are you serious! This whole time there was someone we could’ve called!” She sneered at April’s comment of ‘Sorry, that’s my roommate’, and stormed over. “Do you have any idea how much grief this could’ve saved us? We lived off of Ramen for a week the first time we had to get it fixed!” She would’ve gladly continued her irate ramblings, but upon being shooshed she decided that she might as well just be glad that they’d have a working laptop by morning.

April pocketed her phone and powered off the computer, sliding it into the messenger bag that sat diligently at the edge of the desk for speedy transport. “Alright, I’m gonna go drop this off and-“

“How much?” Katrin asked tersely, narrowing her eyes.

A second of considering yielded the response, “I guess maybe about four large meatlovers pizzas?”

She was appalled. Absolutely and utterly amazed. “You mean to tell me that this guy is willing to fix this thing at almost six in the evening, regardless of it being company property, and we pay in pizza?”

“Yeah, well, he’s family, so he wouldn’t ever let me technically pay him, so I just cover dinner.” April smiled and reached for her keys, about to give an ETA for when she’d be back, but wasn’t given the chance.

Katrin slipped into her shoes and shook her head. “Oh no, I’m comin’ this time. If you’re actually not full of shit, I deserve to personally express my gratitude and you can’t stop me.”

It only took a few seconds for April to consider the implications, which had never much changed, but Katrin was good people, and it really was inevitable. Might as well introduce her while she’s in a good mood, plus everyone was generally happier after evening meditation anyways.

“Fine, but you have to promise me something,” she demanded sternly, eyeing the girl with a fierceness she only ever displayed where her family were concerned. “You will be kind, you will respectful, and most of all, _you will not judge_.”

Katrin nodded once, grabbing her skateboard from its spot by the door as they headed out. “You know me better than that, April. The day I judge anyone based on anything other than their behavior is the day I forfeit my degree. Which will be over my dead body.”

April mumbled something under her breath about hoping the other was right, a gentle churning in her gut settling in as they descended the flight of stairs from their apartment. It could end up going just fine, like she hoped, but she knew that statistically speaking, it could also go very _very_ wrong.


	2. 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good thing I've had four chapters already done, so since this seemed to get way more traffic than I was anticipating, have another!

April drove the modest little company car through the streets of New York, making a quick stop at Antonio’s. Katrin insisted on waiting in the car where it was warm, not much favoring the cool autumn air of September mixing with industrial air conditioning. As April emerged from the busy pizzeria Katrin opened her door to help wrangle the four monstrous boxes.

“Are you sure one guy can eat all these pizzas? I mean, Antonio’s large is enough to feed a small classroom of teenagers,” she pointed out, awkwardly leaning her seat back enough to accommodate all four boxes.

The other slid into the driver’s seat and they were off again, a sigh escaping her lips audibly. “There’s four, and if you bring food for one you bring food for all.”

Katrin nodded in understanding, having gone through most of her life surrounded by hungry ravenous boys. “So where’re we headed? Nice residential area?”

At this April snickered, musing over just how surprised her pupil was going to be. “Not quite, but their massive den is way nicer than our dinky little apartment.”

“Aw, I like our apartment, it’s actually pretty nice,” the other said defensively, having always been fond of their living space.

“Well, yeah,” April continued. “But you just wait until you see it. I think you’ll have much more immediate appreciation for it than I did.”

They drove through handfuls of lights as the edge of the water became clearer in the dusky evening. Katrin began to turn the gears in her head, and after they passed the last residential neighborhood before the waterfront, she gave up trying. “Alright, I give, seriously where are we going.”

April smirked and kept driving, making a left at the last street, the large towering abandoned sewage plant directly ahead. Her smile widened at Katrin’s confusion and distress, allowing a loud snicker as she parked just past the chain-link gate.

After a quick survey of the area, Katrin stared at April out of the corner of her eye. “Okay, seriously starting to get the Craigslist murderer vibe.”

The other only continued to smile, fighting her cell from her pants pocket. She silently and, deliberately, very slowly scrolled her contacts, the amused grin never fading. Finally she held up the phone and stepped out of the car, ushering Katrin along. “Hello to you, too, Mikey. Hey, I need an escort, I brought dinner… Breakfast, whatever… Oh no worries, I brought a friend this time, so be nice.”

Katrin closed the car door behind her, the stack of pizza boxes wobbling precariously as she dropped her board and rolled cautiously over to April’s side. She could easily overhear very distinct Californian slang coming from April’s phone, and sneered at the mention of ‘angel cakes’. When her mentor was finished and hung up, she cocked a brow and popped a hip as best she could. “Was that your boyfriend?”

“Ha!” she laughed, her smile losing some of its previous devilish charm. “He wishes.”

“Ouch,” Katrin drawled, following behind April as she approached a large round entrance, easily pulling the gate open. “Wait… Oh hell no am I going down there. You must out of your God damn mind.”

April leaned against the cement wall, folding her arms expertly across her chest. “Hey, you said you wanted to come and you also promised that you wouldn’t judge.”

“I’m not judging! It’s a _sewer_! Did you know that I’ve seen at least seven sewer related murder stories in this month’s archive file?” She peered uneasily beyond the gate, the copious amount of lighting not deterring any amount of anxiety that swirled in her gut.

Knowing that there was only one effective method for getting her pupil to cease the childish whining, she nodded and offered, “Well, if you really don’t want to come with me, you’re more than welcome to wait out here in the-“

“Alright, fine, _Satan_. But a little bit more of a warning would’ve been nice, that way I would’ve at least had the option of jumping out of the car on the way here.” Her petty insults were only in good humor, which she knew that April understood, and it was the easiest way for her to deal with the equally as petty fit of jitters.

Before April was able to engage in more unadult-like banter, a loud whooping and chime of ‘Hey angel cakes!’ echoed down the tunnel. April watched Katrin intently, searching for any signs that she had been wrong to allow her to tag along. But even as the relatively massive hulking turtle slowed his brisk pace, she only gaped with wide eyes, not taken aback enough to drop the pizza boxes.

“What up, beautiful! Oooh, are those for me?” Michelangelo turned his gaze from April as the scent of fresh pizza filled his nose. He graciously eased the burden of the other, smiling cheekily until he caught sight of her face.

Katrin wasn’t by any means considered ‘gorgeous’ by modern social standards or unrealistic media claims, but she wasn’t wholly unattractive either. At 5’2” on a _really_ good day, and still being a little more on the squishy end of the pear-shape figure set, she had plenty of self-esteem – as far as her self-image was concerned – to keep her confident. However, she absolutely never turned down a compliment, no matter how uncomfortable they made her.

Mikey stared a few seconds longer than he _honestly_ meant to, but quickly regained his exuberant demeanor. “Wow, you’re like… like a Goddess of Beauty sent straight from the heavens!”

Katrin’s face flared and she immediately was way more concerned about the excessive compliment than she was about who it was coming from. She whined and shoved her face in her hands, slightly shaking her head in disagreement.

April walked over and pet him on the shoulder, “She’s really shy about getting compliments, so feel free to lay ‘em on.”

The girl moved her hands to her cheeks, peering up at the roughly six foot turtle in front of her. Just as the red had begun to fade back to the rest of her body, he flourished a hand and bowed at the waist, the boxes still perfectly balanced on one large hand.

“For such a Goddess to grace us with gifts of pizza, Michelangelo is forever at your service. Just say the word angel cakes, and I’m there~” He offered a hand and smiled, the tails of his masks swaying gently in the breeze.

For a very short amount of time, Katrin just stared, but not in the ‘what is this why am I having a panic attack’ way, and more in favor of just being utterly and shamelessly curious. Having been a conspiracy theorist for many years, the idea of the outlandish never seemed so impossible, the trick was just to not freak out when it presented itself. Quickly, after having realized she was being watched, she held out a hand politely and forced the grin off her face. “Katrin.”

Mikey gently took her hand and pressed it lightly to his lips, relishing in the notion of having another ‘beautiful lady to grace their home’. Once he righted himself he began leading them down the tunnel, babbling about his state of excitement.

Katrin stole a peek at April, who was grinning faintly. “Are they all like this?”

“Not a chance, babydoll!” Mikey chimed, smiling at her fully. “Ain’t nobody got charm like Mikey got charm,” he sang, ushering them through and around another tunnel chamber.

“What he means to say,” April explained, “Is that he’s the only one who will shamelessly hit on you,” she finished tartly, looking sideways at Mikey. “Absolutely regardless of your relationship status.”

He rolled his eyes playfully and danced around her, once again leading the way. “Aw come on, it’s not fair that Raph has a monopoly over you,” he said dejectedly, setting in with his fake pouting.

Katrin grinned fiendishly, rolling along at an even pace to keep eye contact with the other. “Yeah April, you should stop spending so much time with your _boyfriend_ , your absence hurts my feelings,” she teased, dodging an easy, yet potentially bruising punch. “Hey watch it, you’ve got precious cargo over there.”

April shook her head and righted the messenger bag that was slung over her shoulder, having no worries about its condition. “Oh please, I could chuck this thing down one of these tunnels as hard as I could and we’d still get it back in better condition than it’s in right now.”

The other raised her brow, impressed at the bold statement. “He’s that good huh?”

“The best you’ll find anywhere,” April confirmed, smiling with pride at her brother.

A few moments later Mikey stopped short, his arms outstretched. “Here we are, Miss Katrin! Gosh that’s such a gorgeous name, where’s it from?”

She cringed slightly, an uninvited image of her relatives surfacing in her mind. “It’s Moroccan, or so I’ve been told.”

He nodded in approval and stepped into the main living space, allowing them room to follow. “Well I humbly invite you within our Inner Sanctum, our Xavier’s Mansion, or Taj Mahal, if you prefer.”

It was spacious to say the least, and far nicer looking than their apartment, in a rustic sort of way. It looked comfortable and happily occupied, but also equipped for the entertainment of four teenage boys, which was a stretch since technically they were past the teen years. The décor and furniture was pieced together in the most artful way, and in the right light it might be considered whimsical. Beyond the inlaid ‘living room’, there was a kitchen, nearly the size of their own, and off to the left was an impressive array of monitors and computers, mirrored on the other side by a shallow cut out for some extra roughhousing space.

That was as much as Katrin could see, knowing there was far more beyond the kitchen and supposed command center, but already she was having a hard time taking in the sheer coolness of it all. “You _live_ here?” she asked, walking around to survey the details her brain hadn’t been able to account for.

“Me and the bros, and Master Splinter, of course,” he added, making his way to the kitchenette to give the boxes a safe place to sit. “Speaking of which, is anybody home!”

A voice was heard coming down the back hall, a little gruff but not totally unkind. “Yes, Mikey, everyone is home and everyone heard you come in, why are you-“

Katrin seized up at the sight of another, slightly taller, mutant turtle. They mimicked each other’s passive but cautious stance, though Katrin tried to look shy while the other stared at her openly.

“April,” he said, trying not to sound too accusatory. “Who’s this.”

With a nod of encouragement, Katrin slowly bowed her head and offered her name, trying not to convey, in any way, that she was either afraid or impolite. When she looked back up the turtle’s gaze had softened and relaxed.

“Leonardo,” he replied before looking back at April. “You didn’t mention you were bringing company,” he said, glancing swiftly at the stack of boxes on the counter.

“That’s because you would’ve said no,” April retorted plainly, obviously not affected by his authoritative demeanor.

He sighed and shook his head, stating very tersely, “That was the point.”

At this Mikey intervened, not wanting his overprotective brother to make their new guest feel unwelcome. “Chill out, brah, she’s totally cool! Any friend of April’s is a friend of mine,” he said proudly, wrapping one arm around the girl’s shoulders. “Besides, Leo, maybe there’s more friendly people out there than we thought.”

The aforementioned rolled his eyes and stepped around them, letting Mikey continue to show her around. “So what’s with the sudden visit?”

April tapped the bag at her hip, smirking halfheartedly. “Our laptop turned in for good, _again_. If we didn’t need it by morning we would’ve waited, but at this point, desperate times call for desperate measures.”

Leo nodded, pointing his thumb towards the side of the room. “Don should be in his lab,” he offered, turning to make sure Mikey hadn’t lead Katrin beyond the kitchen.

“Good,” April chirped, handing the pathetic excuse for a computer over to girl as she was led past. “You can take this to Donnie, I’m gonna go find Raph.”

Katrin barely caught the bag before April headed off, partially wondering why she tried so hard to keep the thing from breaking, but not missing the extra joy in April’s words. “Yeah okay, have fun with your-“

“Don’t,” April warned, and was gone within the depths of the lair.

Mikey tsked as she left, shaking his head until she was out of sight. “I just don’t get what she sees in him.”

“What do you mean?” the girl asked, keeping beside Mikey as he slowly strolled over to the large industrial door set into the wall beside the mess of computers.

“He’s just a big jerk most of the time, and he knows it. Who knows, maybe he actually _smiles_ around her. Heh, that’d be weird,” he pondered, snickering at the thought of it. “But enough about him, let me introduce you to the brains behind everything~”

Katrin stood aside as he hauled open the metal door, seemingly without effort on his part, and rapped on the frame to get his brother’s attention through the loud music.

Again she was forced to pause in order to take everything in, and it was almost impressive the amount of stuff that had been crammed into such a relatively small room. Table space along the perimeter, one large metal table in the middle, and there wasn’t an inch of unused surface area anywhere. Computers and monitors were scattered about, along with haphazardly organized parts and wires, clusters of assembled bits and pieces, and a fairly sizeable amount of things in need of repair.

Yet another, but much thinner and less bulky, turtle was before her, though didn’t seem to be paying much attention, especially since he was both turned away and very obviously engaged in something.

“Hey Don! You’ll never guess what beautiful creature decided to stop by!” he cheered happily, anxious for the reaction he knew would prove to be worth the startle.

“You know, Mikey, you can call her April like everyone else does,” the other sighed, mildly irritated with the interruption. As he turned to greet who he assumed to be April, instead he screeched and found himself dropping the tools in his hands and nearly threw himself against the counter in shock. “ _You’re not April_.”

Katrin, having not felt any need to be alarmed due to the fact that she wasn’t being stared down, grinned apologetically. “No, I’m not April. But I _am_ sorry we scared you,” she said, dragging Mikey under the bus with her as the other composed himself.

He timidly pushed his glasses farther up his nose and took a second to make sure nothing had broken or been set on fire in his state of panic. When he was sure everything was fine he made a gentleman of himself and offered his hand. “Donatello.”

She took it gingerly and replied, “Katrin.”

“The roommate I heard screaming over the phone?” he asked, gently taking the laptop from her as she pulled it out.

“Yeeeaaah,” she murmured, hunching her shoulders with fake embarrassment.

Donnie cleared a space and set down the sad little computer, going to work on trying to bring it to life. “So what exactly is the problem?”

“Other than the fact that its time has come and it needs to _go_?” Katrin folded her arms and glared disapprovingly as it went through its slow startup process.

“Nonsense, there is no such thing as a dead computer. Well, as long as you can still use it for parts…” he paused and scrunched his face, already feeling the impatience set in. “Does it always take this long?”

Turning back from watching Mikey leave for his summons, she answered, “Yep. And no need to ask, we already tried turning it off and back on again.”

Donnie smirked slightly, but it faded as the blue screen halted the measly task of simply _turning on_. He scanned through the technical jargon, looking for any tell tale signs of the problem. “How many times have you gotten it fixed?”

Katrin huffed and counted in her head, “Five, I think? And April’s only had it since the beginning of the year. She said it’s been like this ever since it was lent to her.”

Ever so gently, he turned the poor thing off and flipped it over, scanning the room for a screwdriver, and went to work on filleting the thing open. It didn’t take him long to expose its innards, and he carefully picked through the various parts and wires, being far more gentle than Katrin believed was deserved.

Suddenly she realized that she had been staring and shrunk slightly at her forgotten manners. “You don’t mind me hangin’ around, do you? I know how some people can get when people watch them work.”

With a smile Don shook his head. “You’re fine, better you stay in here anyway. I wouldn’t want you to accidentally run into Raph.”

She cocked her head to one side, silently cheering as he poked at the motherboard a little harder than intended. “Is he really all that scary? I thought April only said he was intimidating so that I wouldn’t try to embarrass her in front of him.”

“Oh no, he can be quite… ah… churlish, on the best of days,” he said, picking his words with care.

Katrin smiled, enjoying the fact that he seemed to have quite a large vocabulary aside from the technical standpoint. For the better part of an hour she watched Donatello poke and prod around in their feeble little laptop. Eventually he got that glint in his eye that told her he had found the problem, and she playfully expressed that she was heartbroken at the idea not being able to put it out of its misery. By the time half past eight rolled around he was putting everything back in order to make sure the solution had worked.

One flawless startup and trial run later, Donnie was handing over the computer and smiling proudly at Katrin’s amazement.

“Well she certainly wasn’t kidding,” Katrin said, delicately sliding it back into its resting place. “You sure just the one pizza will be enough?”

He tenderly set the old part into a growing pile and chuckled. “It was no trouble, and it got my mind off things for a while, so maybe I should be thanking you.”

Before Katrin had time to get flustered over what her brain was insisting to be another compliment, April’s voice drifted into the room from the living space, beckoning the two out. “Well? Does it work?”

Donnie folded his arms proudly, “Better than the day you go it.”

April thanked him profusely, pulling him down for a grateful hug as extra thanks. After exchanging all final pleasantries the two girls were escorted out by a slightly disheartened Mikey.

“You’ll come back and visit though, right angel cakes?” he called, loitering by the gate as the two made for the car.

April waved and reassured him on the affirmative, glad that Katrin had been taken to much more positively than she had feared. On the way home April remained quiet, allowing Katrin to process the information in the safety of her own mind. Maybe if she was lucky, Katrin would even get along with Raph. Of course it was wishful thinking, but it’d worked out so far, and April was never one to quit while she was ahead.


	3. 3

April stood outside of the coordinator’s office, her arms crossed over her chest and a smug grin pulling at the corners of her mouth. It would be hard to refrain from the ‘I told you so’ speech, even though April knew she didn’t ever actually warn her of the implications. But when Katrin trudged out of the office she couldn’t help but snicker. “I know I didn’t actually tell you but, I told you so.”

Okay, so Katrin’s little rebellious ‘I don’t need to write a rough draft’ stunt got hera talking to, but what did it matter?

“You know they don’t take this story seriously! Why do you think they moved you down here with the interns?” she spat back, resisting the urge to crinkle her summons notice. “And besides, why are you still even working on this? I thought you had an obligation to keep them a secret from the rest of the world, oh great and mighty Hogosha.”

She sighed and shook her head. “I’m not writing the stories about _them_ , I’m writing stories about vigilantes, which could be anybody.”

But Katrin knew how April’s brain worked, and had started catching on after her first visit with the ‘vigilantes’ a few days prior. “You’re just trying to make them sound like good guys, that way when people start accepting the fact that they’re “heroes”, maybe they won’t be prosecuted by the public on national TV for being seven foot talking turtles.”

As they approached Katrin’s work station she promptly balled up the notice and flicked it into the little trash bin under her desk. She slumped into her chair and peered up at April, who still wasn’t ready to give up a fight.

“Look, do you want them to have to live in the sewers for the rest of their lives? They’re _people_ , they need to interact with other _people_ ,” she argued, a slight pout gracing her features.

Katrin groaned and shook her head, “No, of course I don’t. But if you really want them to be accepted by the public you need to go about it a different way. This vigilante story is back-asswards, it’ll never catch on.”

April huffed and leaned against the little wooden desk, crossing her legs as her shoulders hunched forward. “Then what do I do? They’re my family, I can’t just… I can’t watch them live down there in fear of the outside world forever.”

The other mused over her words for a moment, and even though she didn’t share nearly as strong of a bond with Aprils’ extended family – yet – she knew it was still wrong for them to _have_ to always live in the sewers, isolated and lonely. “Look, people are afraid of what they can’t explain. If you want them to accept things they can’t explain, then you have feed them hints a little bit at a time that _will_ explain it. Plant the seed.”

“How are we supposed to do that? And don’t tell me to start with an article on how dolphins are self-aware,” she said sternly, glaring half-heartedly down at her pupil.

Katrin held her hands up in defense. “If you really don’t wanna do the dolphin story then start out with, say… your dad’s experiments. Remind people of how amazed and excited they were about that, do a tribute article and throw in something new.”

April pondered over the idea, turning it around and around in her head. “Okay, so we start subtle, but what else do I say that they don’t already know?”

The girl laughed and crossed her legs in her chair. “Exactly that, something they don’t know. You’ve still got all of your dad’s journals and I _know_ there’s old tapes of you snooping around. Divulge a little information that wasn’t public domain, something that was confidential,” she explained, smiling faintly as April started getting the hint.

After nodding in approval, and slightly impressed at how innovative her intern could be _sometimes_ , she said, “Alright, well then how about when we get off work I’ll take us to Starbucks for coffee and then we’ll go visit the boys?”

At this Katrin squirmed uncomfortably in her seat, biting her lip. “I dunno April, they’re your family, not mine. And I don’t think Leo much appreciated me being there.”

Her mentor waved a hand to dismiss her doubts. “That’s just because he lets his leader complex dictate everything he says, does, and thinks. I know he’ll come around. Plus, Mikey won’t shut up and stop asking me how you are, so for my sanity, you’re going.”

* * *

By the time they got to the abandoned sewage plant Katrin had nearly finished her frappe, which she hadn’t gotten but a few minutes prior. Her hands shook slightly as her nerves formed doubts in her mind about what April had said earlier. _I really hope she wasn’t saying all that to be nice. And I really don’t want to get on anyone’s bad side…_

“Come on, intern, let’s move along,” April put a hand on the other’s shoulder and steered her into the tunnel, sipping at her latte as she went.

Katrin fidgeted with the nearly empty cup in her hands, wondering why she hadn’t been this nervous the last time. _Maybe I was too much in shock the first time._ “What are we gonna do down here anyways?”

April glanced sideways and smirked. “Oh gee, I don’t know. Video games, make fun of bad movies, watch the boys kick each other’s asses, I know Donnie _really_ loves playing Clue.”

As tempting as all of those sounded, Katrin just didn’t quite buy it. “April, they’re boys. Are they really going to want me encroaching on their man-time?”

“Oh come on,” April said encouragingly, pausing to make sure they were going in the right direction. “What about all that rebellious teenage stuff you told me about? I thought you said you hung out with boys all through high school.”

While it was true, Katrin had spent most of her teen years with a rougher crowd, and it taught her most of the tricks she knew now. Skateboarding, street fighting, hip hop and jumpstyle, video games, they were all things she learned to get good at because she hung out with horny, attention starved teenage boys that didn’t have anything better to do other than school assignments they’d purposefully never finish. But back then they were all going through the same phase, the same feeling of needing to find freedom from the standardized repressions. These four were very different, she didn’t grow up with them, and she felt like she was invading some sort of sacred pact.

“Angel cakes!”

Katrin’s musings had let her guard down and she hadn’t noticed they’d arrived so soon. And before she could assess her surroundings, the large perky turtle was lifting her off the ground in an almost painful hug. She huffed and desperately clutched onto her coffee, tensing briefly before realizing that the attention was meant to be affectionate rather than aggressive.

“I didn’t think I’d be missed so much,” she panted out after having been set gently back on the ground.

Mikey beamed and took one of her dainty little hands in one of his. “My lady, every moment you’re gone I can only yearn for your beauty~”

Donnie sighed from the couch, loud enough to make sure his brother heard. “Alright, that’s enough. You’re starting to embarrass _me_ ,” he scolded lightly, setting his book on the coffee table as he got up to greet their guests. “I didn’t expect that we’d see you again so soon, Katrin.”

She forced herself to not look down at the ground and smiled. “Well, April insisted… and offered coffee, so naturally I couldn’t refuse,” she said, hoping she hadn’t come off sounding as if she was there against her wish.

“So,” Mikey said, pulling the two ladies into the den and out of the tunnel. “What shall we do this fine evening?”

April smiled and eyed her two brothers while batting her eyelashes. “Actually, I was hoping she could just, you know, hang out with you guys. Participate in the usual evening activities,” she said cheerily, expertly weaseling out from underneath Michelangelo’s arm with a finesse that proved she’d had much practice. Before any of them could object much, she was halfway down the hall past the kitchen, swinging into the dojo and out of sight.

Mikey immediately lead her into the inlaid living space, offering up the first thing that came to mind, “I don’t suppose you play video games much?” When he was given an eager nod of affirmation he turned to look at his brother. “What do you say, Don? Up for some friendly competition?”

Said turtle sighed and adjusted his glasses, joining them on the couch. “Well I’m certainly not leaving her alone with _you_ ,” he teased, though kept the smile from his words.

“Aw, you don’t gotta be like that. You’re just jealous~” Mikey sang, pulling out the box of neatly organized games, beckoning Katrin to join him and peruse their collection.

She plopped on the floor in front of the box and silently fingered through the titles before her profound curiosity got the better of her. “So, if you guys live down here… where did you get all _these_? And why are some of them burnt on regular discs?”

Donnie fidgeted guiltily on the couch, having never been called out on such a thing. “Well, most of them we’ve picked up here and there. But…” he trailed off, trying not avert his eyes when she turned to look at him. “As for the others, let’s just say I have my ways and leave it at that.”

Katrin snickered and shook her head. “Ain’t no shame in partaking in the fruits of some other soul’s hard labor. Besides, most of these would cost a fortune anyway, and as much I love video games, my love does not transcend my wallet.”

After a few more moments of careful consideration, she decided that diving headlong into the bonding experience was the best way to go about it, casually handing Mikey the latest version of Halo she could find. After receiving praise for good taste – and cheap smack talk – she took her place on the couch, purposefully putting herself in the middle.

Her and Donnie were each handed a controller and stole competitive glances at each other while they waited for Mikey. Once they were all ready, and the game had gone through its credits, they silently all agreed to play slayer as it was the only way to truly show who was the alpha gamer. And having a new regular guest, it was only customary for the champion to assert their dominance and hold fast to their earned title.

Currently Raphael and Donatello were competing for ultimate champion, the clashing of brute force and expert calculations causing some complications as they always seemed to be evenly matched. However, Raph wasn’t playing, so Donnie smirked at having the advantage, deciding that maybe he’d take it easy, just so she could get used to the controls and –

“Hey!” he cried, having already marked up one death, Katrin’s name appearing next to his death counter.

She hummed innocently and apologized, “Oh, I’m sorry, you weren’t ready yet, were you?”

He huffed and shot her a glare, hunching over into the standard ‘time to get serious’ gamer pose. “Don’t get cocky yet, 12.783% says you got lucky.”

Katrin eyed him momentarily, immediately deciding that was just one of his nerd quirks. “Okay, if you say so,” she replied, steering around a corner and planting his newly respawned character with a sticky grenade before making a beeline for cover.

Mikey giggled at the expression of sheer bewilderment on his brother’s face, already excited to watch the inevitably entertaining feud begin.

“How did you know where I was going to…” he stammered, convinced that there was absolutely _no way_ she could’ve actually _known_. “Fine. You wanna play dirty? I’ll play dirty.”

The preset for ten kills drug on for almost half an hour, and Katrin decided to indulge them with something a little less traditional and a little more exciting, which would hopefully quicken the pace a little. “Alright, new game, fifteen kills, rocket launchers only.”

The other two looked at her coyly, wondering what exactly she could be setting them up for.

“Aw, come on, brah, that sounds too easy!” Mikey chided, winking across her to his brother, hoping he’d take the hint.

The other nodded faintly, and added, “Yeah, we wouldn’t want to ruin your _lucky_ streak.”

Katrin only rolled her eyes and went about changing the settings, deciding against the 25% gravity only to spare their dignity. “Well then maybe it’ll be more of a fair fight.”

Donnie set his jaw and leaned back, training his eyes on his portion of the screen. _Looks like I just ran out of mercy._ “I hope you like getting your butt kicked.”

The girl smirked devilishly, tucking her legs underneath her as she got comfy between them. “Only if you promise~”

Michelangelo put a hand up to his mouth and tried not to point out the red he could tell was flushing Don’s cheeks. “Don’t worry brah,” he wheezed out in a fit of muffled laughter. “I got your back.”

It was about as fair as it was going to get, because Katrin was just as skilled as either of them, in her own way of course. She learned all the dirty tricks from the boys she’d played with, making up for her lack of accuracy and tactical assessments. She didn’t have a problem openly admitting Donnie was good, but she would’ve rather kicked him off his high horse and let him contemplate the fact that he got his ass handed to him by a girl.

When April emerged from the dojo she spotted the three on the couch, yelling and shoving each other in the way of getting the upper hand. She was glad they were getting along, and it was nice to see somebody teaching the two boys some humility for a change. She stood at the end of the island counter while Leo took up a barstool and Raph watched with her from the kitchen.

“Hhoooo! What’s that? Did I just steal that champion title?” Katrin cackled and reveled in the downcast and sullen looks of the two brothers.

Donnie shook his head and brooded. “How did I lose… to a _girl_ ,” he muttered, peeking over at Mikey for a little bit of a self-esteem boost.

Before the youngest could offer any consoling words, Raph lumbered over and demanded his controller. “You and me. One on one. My rules,” he said flatly, scooching Mikey off of the couch. He quickly went about resetting the game, opting for three kills only and just the weaker weapons. “Watch and learn, Donnie.”

Katrin hadn’t said a word, much too afraid of the hulking mountain of muscle and bad attitude to risk getting on his bad side. She just patiently waited for the round to begin, doing her best to get as far into her Zen gaming mode as possible. Maybe if she fought well enough he’d give her the benefit of the doubt… a little.

Ten minutes of tense, quiet gaming had them both tied at two, the last death proving the rightful victor. Raph relaxed with his elbows on his knees and played calmly, not offering any comments or sound. Katrin breathed evenly and kept her fingers moving across the buttons and analog sticks, her eyes flickering between the screens, trying to effectively use everything she’d ever been taught. It was a rough few minutes, even for the onlookers – including Leo, who was more curious about how Raph would treat their new guest _after_ he won.

And he did, the only hint of rejoicing being the flash of a smirk aimed at Donnie that they both knew to mean that their little feud was over and Raph had out performed him. He then glanced once down at the girl sitting next to him, who remained still and silent. “Not bad, pipsqueak.” He then rose from the couch and headed for the back of the den, lingering long enough by April to get a pat on the shoulder and a smile.

When the fourth was out of sight, Katrin visibly relaxed and let her shoulders drop. Mikey resumed his usual place on the couch and looked between his brothers, lingering the longest at Leo.

“Well, he doesn’t _hate_ you,” the leader mused, folding his arms on the countertop.

Donnie hummed thoughtfully, pondering over his brother’s actions as he looked at Leo. “What do you think…” he motioned towards Katrin, “ _that_ was all about?”

Leo sighed and rolled his shoulders, rubbing the back of his head. “It looked to me like he was assessing how much of a pushover she’d be, only because he knew he’d be intimidating. You know how he likes to assert dominance.”

They all nodded in agreement, a faint smile ghosting over April’s face that no one seemed to notice, but quickly vanished as another entered the room.

He slowly, deliberately, took his time in shuffling past the kitchen and into the larger part of the den, paws clasped loosely behind his back, greeting April with a gentle grip on her hand and a slight tilt of the head. When he was just in view of the turtles, he addressed them all at once. “My sons! To the dojo with you, now!”

The three left in the room hastily got to their feet, answering ‘ _Hai, Sensei!_ ’ as they made for the dojo, knowing it was time to train. When they had disappeared from view, the rat slowly turned his gaze to the only one left who he had not yet spoken to.

“Come here, young one,” he said softly, motioning her over with and outstretched hand. He watched her slowly rise from the living room and glace hurriedly at April before she began making her way towards him. “I have heard much talk about you from Michelangelo,” he continued, tucking his hand back with the other.

Katrin ducked her head and grimaced, “All good things, I hope?”

The other laughed quietly, his whiskers barely bouncing with his shoulders. “Of course, he thinks very highly of you. Normally we would be very disapproving of our existence being known by others. However, you have proven to be as genuine and accepting as April had promised, and for that, we are _all_ grateful for your kindness,” he finished, touching her lightly on the arm and nodding once. “Now, would you ladies like to sit in? I’m sure another lesson in humility wouldn’t hurt.”

The girl nodded eagerly, the idea of watching the boys actually train much too tempting to pass up. Though, as the rat retreated into the dojo, she looked sideways at April, questioning the last comment.

April grinned and led her past the kitchen to the dojo, “That just means we get to watch them make asses of themselves.”

Katrin nodded, letting the other guide her by the shoulder into the depths of the sewer.


	4. 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope the timing of this and the training and everything isn't weird. But I'm so super grateful for the feedback I've gotten, I hope I don't disappoint!

April pulled Katrin down beside her on the floor at the edge of the dojo, making sure her legs were tucked comfortably underneath her and out of the way. Katrin mimed her pose, sitting cross legged and folding her hands in her lap as she leaned against the wall to keep her from slouching.

The boys sat on their knees in a line before their Master, waiting patiently for his instruction. Splinter stood before them and eyed them closely, formulating in his mind what he would have them practice for the evening.

“Today I will spare you your taijutsu forms, for the sake of our guests. However, Leonardo, Donatello, I want to see your kenjutsu and bojutsu form, with blindfolds,” he explained watching them as they exchanged nervous glances while Raph and Mikey moved to stand aside by their respective weapon racks.

Leo looked up worriedly at the rat. “Uh, Sensei, are you sure we’re ready for that? The last time we tried I almost cut one of Donnie’s hands off,” he replied, giving his brother an apologetic glance.

Splinter nodded once, slowly, before speaking again. “Yes, but you did not. You both need to become more aware of your weapons and their spatial range. Even with your vast training you still do not fully use them or feel them as an extension of yourself.” With that, he visited each of their weapons racks, picking and choosing which staff and pair of katana he wished for them to use, presenting them once he had decided.

Donnie and Leo stood at the middle of the circular room with their backs to each other, weapons in their relaxed position. Splinter had them each bend forwards as he fastened black blindfolds over their eyes, folding and tucking Donnie’s glasses away in his robes. He then stepped back and verbally guided them to the edge of the space, making them turn and bow respectfully to the other.

April had never watched them do their tandem form, she had only heard stories of the close call and how undone Leo had become because of it. For this to be Katrin’s first experience watching them train certainly was a treat, as long as nothing bad happened.

The rat Master took a few steps back, assessing each of his sons before continuing. “Kamae,” he barked, noticing the slight hesitation of their movements as they readied themselves. After another few seconds of consideration, he gave one last command. “Donatello, nakago.”

The turtle tensed, becoming visibly uncomfortable. “But, Sensei, I-!”

“Naginata! Now!”

Donatello obliged his Master, feeling along the shaft for the lever that was safely tucked away and gave it a gentle flick, unlatching the spring-loaded nakago blade at the top end of the staff. He could smell the nervous sweat that was already beading on Leo’s neck, because now they were both in an equal amount of danger and he could just as easily and seriously hurt his brother.

“ _Hajime!_ ”

They each took once progressive stance forward in their form, waiting for Master Splinter’s command to continue onto the next. With every command to continue they slowly inched closer to each other, and the tension lingered hot and thick.

April watched Raphael’s expression just as intently, all too familiar with the faraway look of concern that glinted in his eyes. If she hadn’t been studying him so closely she would’ve missed the way his eyes widened ever so slightly, and her own darted back to the other two in front of her.

They were only inches apart from each other now, each of Leo’s katana stabbing just a breath from either side of the other, and Donnie’s nakago blade wavering just beside his brother’s neck.

Splinter breathed deeply and moved around them, instructing them to remain still while he carefully removed the black fabric from their eyes. “Now, look at where your weapons are, how they are in perfect position,” he instructed.

Leo and Donnie exhaled as they assessed where the blades were, both relieved and mortified at how close they had come to drawing blood.

“My sons,” the rat continued, looking over all four of the boys. “What does this demonstrate?”

Each of them surveyed the others, the silence pounding in their ears as the nerves continued to course through their muscles. Leo and Donnie stared at each other for an eternity’s worth of seconds, searching for apology, forgiveness, a means to ease their fear and discomfort, knowing it was there but unable to see it through the fog of distress.

Katrin continued to hold her breath, her eyes darting between Leo’s quivering shoulders, his shaking hands, and how the shallowest breath from Donnie inched his own flesh closer to the katana, the tips just barely able to brush against his hips.

“Trust.”

All eyes – except Splinter’s – settled on Raph, his gaze focused rigidly on his brothers as they stared back.

Master Splinter nodded, “Yes, Raphael, trust.” He turned towards the other two and set his hands on their wrists, holding them firmly. “It is trust that you must have for each other, which allows you to fight as one. You cannot fight effectively if you are not just as aware of your brothers’ weapons as you are of your own. It is this same trust that you must have for yourself, to guide your weapons with assurance and purpose.” With a gentle motion he allowed them to relax and step away from each other. Once they had put their weapons away he gave them permission to begin their post training mediation early, which both eagerly hurried out for.

April and Katrin watched Raph and Mikey finish their training, which was far less nerve-wracking and much more enjoyable. As they finished with their sparring Katrin saw Donnie and Leo pass by the dojo, and wondered if the meditation had helped at all, but they were past the edge of the door before she could tell.

After training, the two women joined Leo for a light dinner, having been unable to coax the other from his lab to eat. When another half hour was up they were graced with the last remaining turtles, though one of which wasn’t much company. As Katrin insisted on doing the dishes, April leaned over the counter and glanced once back towards the lab.

“Do you think he’ll be alright?” she asked, rubbing at her arms as a chill ran over her skin.

Leo sighed and hunched his shoulders, his eyes tracing lines over the door before getting up so he didn’t let the others hear his words. “Of all of us, he’s probably the least aggressive, so for Master Splinter to ask this of him, and for him to nearly slice into me, it could take some time before he’s even comfortable holding his staff again.”

She shook her head and furrowed her brow, sitting up off the counter. “Isn’t there anything we can do for him? You know how much I _hate_ watching you guys brood.”

The other laughed dryly, letting his eyes settle on the cement under his feet. “Just, you know… be there for him. Try to keep him from thinking about it when you can,” he replied softly, putting a hand on her shoulder before retreating back into the depths of the den.

Michelangelo had insisted that they have a movie night, and even went through the trouble of grating fresh parmesan for the popcorn. April was able to convince Raph to be part of it, and they were even able to find a movie that _everybody_ agreed on. Katrin was squished comfortably between Mikey and the end of the couch while April curled up snugly under Raph’s arm.

Halfway through Leo emerged and forced his way onto the couch, verbally approving of the movie choice as Katrin resituated herself between the two massive boys. As the last few minutes played out, April and Raph snuck off to have a few minutes before she took her roommate back home.

This time the round of goodbyes was much more casual, Katrin going so far as to hug both Mikey and Leo, but only nodding cautiously at Raph as he lingered by the kitchen. It was nearly 2am by the time they both crawled into bed, knowing that having to get up at six would be hell.

* * *

Talk was going around the office in hushed whispered and silent questions, each of the eleven interns already present sitting on pins and needles. Upon entering the floor, April was hurried off to the meeting room in the back, leaving Katrin to trade awkward looks with the other college students, none of whom she was particularly fond of.

After returning a particularly nasty look, she slipped into her cubicle and dropped tiredly into her chair, writing ‘NEED COFFEE’ on a bright pink post-it note and sticking it to the outside wall of her station, doing the same for April’s whose was next door. She played around with a few of her personal articles for a good twenty minutes, giving Coffee Guy the highest praise she could articulate when he stopped by, and continued to wait around for her mentor to report back.

After nearly an hour, April skittered into Katrin’s little space and held her hands up eagerly, trying to contain her obvious excitement.

Katrin looked her over and raised a brow, “Okay, no meeting is _that_ thrilling.”

“This one is, and I’ll tell you why,” April began, looking over her shoulder as if paranoid.

“Please do.”

She nodded and continued. “Okay, so the boss wants to replace one of our columns, right? And he wants the interns to send in ideas!”

Said intern sat up instantly, looking critically at the other. “What?”

“As long as he marks off all fifteen of the biweeklies, it’ll count for your publication article!”

In order for the internship to count towards the bachelor’s degree, the head of whatever department the student had been put in, had to sign off and confirm that they had written and published at least one major article, usually the front page. Otherwise, tough shit. However, the department heads had a little freedom on the matter, and Katrin’s was granting the opportunity to write fifteen biweekly columns and sign them off for credit.

They were both quiet for a long moment, April watching Katrin as her brain reeled and tried to both process and begin formulating ideas at the same time. Suddenly she stopped, her eyes going wide as she reached for April’s shoulders.

“Oh my God do you know what this means?” she demanded, blowing a stray piece of hair from her face. As April began to understand what she meant she went on, “We can use this do the articles on your Dad’s lab research, we can dedicate the whole column to his experiments and, and-“

“The turtles,” April finished, leaning on the desk. “It’s perfect, and we’d have fifteen articles to build up to it, there’s – wait, what if…” she trailed off, looking away from her pupil. “What if they won’t want us to? What if we upset Splinter?”

Katrin nodded, but quickly came up with a solution. “We’ll just have to be careful about how we write them. If we do it just the right way, then for the last few articles we could keep it general if we needed to, no big deal.”

After that, they worked together on a short proposal, each looking over and rereading the paragraph at least seven times each, buffing out the kinks, leaving no room for loopholes, and  debating over comma usage until they sent it through two hours later, accepting that it was as perfect and persuasive as it was going to get. April decided to treat her intern to lunch at the bistro down the street, further working out some of the general ideas that they could work out when they got home.

That evening, April pulled out a good seized box from her closet, flipped off the lid, and dumped the contents onto the living room floor. She and Katrin spent hours sifting through, organizing, reading, and watching old camcorder tapes, just so they could both get somewhat acquainted with the material they had to work with.

For the next two weeks this was their evening ritual; organize, set aside, re-box the leftovers to be dumped the next night. Slowly they were breaking things up into groups and down into subgroups, making rough outlines of what to put when and in conjunction with which came before or after it.

In these two weeks Katrin had not revisited the lair – only leaving the house to teach her weekly dance lesson and with April to go to work – and every time April read aloud another one of Mikey’s pleading texts she only nodded and continued working, giving a rehearsed apology and empty promise. In a lot of ways, this behavior reminded April very much of Donnie, how he would completely immerse himself in his work, nearly forgetting about the outside world beyond his projects. It wasn’t until they got a knock on the window late one evening that Katrin was hurled back into her regular reality.

“Would you go see what that was?” April glanced over at Katrin, and continued to look her in the eye until the other groaned and hauled herself to her feet. Of course April knew who exactly was rapping on their window at this time of night, but she also knew that a good scare would do Katrin some good, get her blood pumping again.

Katrin trudged over to the window and absently pulled loose the latch, letting the window swing outwards of its own accord. She was met with four masses swaying impatiently by the window, looking at her eagerly.

“ _SON OF A BITCH!_ ” She cried, throwing herself backwards and nearly tripping over a chair as she went down, landing harshly on the carpet elbows first.

April laughed openly, waving a hand to invite the boys in. They slipped into the apartment easily and with practice, carefully skating around the systemized mess in the middle of the floor as they made themselves at home.

Mikey helped Katrin off the floor and pulled her into a dramatic embrace, turning her in circles as he lavished her with his missing her and the odd compliment or two thrown in. Once she was put down she smiled sheepishly at the others, apologizing for her absence and making sure to ask about how Donnie had been.

“So what is all this?” Leo asked, turning to observe the pile of grouped papers, notebooks, and tapes.

“ _This_ ,” April exclaimed, her hands outstretched, “is why Katrin hasn’t paid any of you any attention for two whole weeks.”

The girl huffed and knelt back down on the floor, picking up a loose end she had been forced to abandon. “I couldn’t help it, and I said I was sorry!” she defended, setting what they had aside and putting the rest back in the box for another night.

Mikey snickered and watched her closely. “Sounds a lot like Donnie. You know, when he starts working on something new?” He received nods and hums of agreement from all but the mentioned, who pushed his glasses up his nose defiantly and glared halfheartedly.

 “Your attention span just hasn’t allowed you to develop certain appreciations for complex work,” Donnie retorted, turning to Katrin. “I understand the personal obligations and there’s no reason for you feel guilty,” he offered, smiling with a little extra effort to get his point across.

She smiled back thanked him profusely, shoving aside any extra scattered papers to clear off the living room floor. “So, since you all went through the trouble of getting here, what should we do?” She looked to April for some insight, who picked herself up off the floor and shuffled into the hallway closet.

While she quite audibly rummaged around, Katrin stepped into the kitchen asked for drink requests, tossing Leo a bottle of water and everyone else a can of coke. As the sounds of breaking aluminum and fizz filled the room, April reemerged from under a stack of bedding with a board game tucked safely underneath one arm.

She joined everyone on the floor, taking up the empty space between Raph and Leo to complete the circle they had dutifully made. “How about a game of monopoly?” She opened the box to reveal the 3D New York Edition that only Katrin was unfamiliar with.

“Where did you get this thing? It looks freakin’ expensive,” Katrin said, peering over to look at the vast detail set onto the spaces, which was protected with a glass top. “Also, I call the taxi,” she swiped the token from the box and placed it happily over the start space.

Everyone picked out their token, which was one of those things that never seemed to change, and Donnie, who also was always elected banker, dealt out the paper money. These games always started out slowly, and it took a good hour before things picked up. As usual, Mikey was the first player out, followed closely by April. They opted for watching a movie on the couch to give the other four room to play.

As Raph greedily held onto his money, bitching at Leo for putting up yet _another_ house, Donnie traded him across the board and punked his brother for being too afraid to let any of his go. It was a shallow and quick argument, until Raph immediately landed on the space where Leo’s newest house sat proudly.

“I’m sorry, what was that Raph? It was stupid of me to put a house there? Well I’ll think about it next time while I count your money,” Leo teased, wiggling his fingers as Raph counted out the $340 he owed for rent.

These little skirmishes erupted every few turns, especially after the ‘Free Parking’ started to rake in serious money, each of the players eyeing it wishfully. It added up to a pretty penny of $1,867 by the time Katrin landed on the paper covered space, earning her a few petty insults and some really pitiful trash talk.

She relished in the welcomed edition into her ever growing stack of cash, playing smugly for the next several turns. She laid out a few houses of her own, picking and choosing their spaces with care, also finally being able to buy out the last card of one of her housing sets from Leo. Her good mood, however, was short lived as Donnie quietly forked over a hefty amount of money and peppered the board with little green houses without saying a word.

“You’re cheatin’,” Raph accused roughly, glaring at his brother pointedly.

Donnie shook his head with a smirk, keeping the game moving along until it was once again his turn. This time he removed all of his green houses, set them back in the box, and replaced them all with red hotels, which cost him another impressive sum of money.

“Ha! I’d like to watch one of you land on my hotels and _survive_!” he cackled, unable to hide the snort in his laughter.

From the couch, April rolled her eyes. “Geez, Donnie, it’s just a game, you don’t have to get all cynical about it.”

Katrin whipped her head around. “ _Just_ a _game_? No April, this isn’t just a game. This is _war_ ,” she hissed, shooting Donnie a competitive sneer. “And something tells me this is payback.”

Leo was the next player to go bankrupt, followed soon after by Raph, both having been defeated by Donatello’s malicious hotels. Now he and Katrin faced off once again, neither intending on showing the slightest bit of mercy. Soon enough there were an even number of red money-eaters on the board, each one an automatic loss by itself. It was only a matter of time before Katrin’s luck ran out, and Donnie was crowned victor.

The others shook their heads as the two bickered about whether or not Donnie really had cheated, and why Katrin was such a sore loser.

She enjoyed it, though, spending time with them. They really were people just like anyone else, they had complex feelings, the ability to be skilled ninjas, it was easy for her to hold meaningful conversations with most of them, and Katrin very quickly became attached. For better or worse was yet to be determined, but she began to see them as potential family.


	5. 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which I make an excuse for myself to make as many Halloween puns as possible. At Vern's expense.

Vernon was by no means one of the few people Katrin would spend time with when didn’t absolutely _have_ to, but she did enjoy picking fun at him on the little fluff stories she was dragged along to help with. April told her it was good experience, but mostly it was just so Katrin could get the creep off her back.

The day’s story was about how to get an early and cheap start to Halloween, since apparently there were actually people who bothered to utilize those kinds of tips and tricks. Personally, Katrin thought that the idea of spending absurd amounts of money on Halloween decorations when living in the Big Apple was pretty pointless, since a lot of people simply didn’t have a whole lot of space to do much more besides the cheesy ‘Boo I’m a socially standardized adorable ghost’ sign on the front door.

So she stood aside with her pen and notebook, tapping the pen tip against bottom of the open page, mulling over how many Halloween puns she could come up with to piss Vern off. “Hey creep,” she called, receiving a look of boredom as acknowledgement. “What’re you gonna be for Halloween this year?”

It wasn’t much of a secret that Vern was a shameless flirt, as he very unceremoniously tried and failed to get April to agree to at least _one_ measly little date. And, being the ladies man he constantly allowed himself to believe he was, dressing up for Halloween was just another way to impress and woo the horde of women that absolutely would not give him the time of day.

He leaned back from his camera, keeping it steady on the tripod. “I don’t know, I was thinking maybe either casual or fancy Tony Stark.”

Katrin smiled cheekily from her safe distance of exactly twelve and half feet, mocking him with, “Hey, you should get an iron suit, then I can call you Iron Maiden!”

Vern huffed at his ignorance, feeling that he should’ve seen that one coming. “Okay, _funnybones_ , what are _you_ dressing up as? Oh wait, let me guess, you’re going to put a sheet over your head and call yourself a ghost, right?”

She rolled it around in her head for a minute, eyes glinting as she came up with a response. “Well, at least when I’m not around I’ll be _mist_.”

The cameraman glared coldly at her, his face dropping instantly. “I hate you.”

April waved at them both from the behind the table she was stationed at, sitting next to an older woman who was the mastermind behind the ‘Scarefree Halloween’. They both straightened up and made themselves ready and alert, watching for the signal to begin.

The show was boring to say the least, and Katrin could tell that April was dying slowly on the inside, knowing that her career had been reduced to faking smiles for old ladies. And all the content was unoriginal things you could find on the internet, literally who hasn’t heard of sticking googly eyes on everything.

It was slow and dragged on for the entire twenty minutes of air time, and by the time it was over Katrin sagged happily against the studio wall, sighing obnoxiously. She was even happy to help breakdown the equipment, now dreading writing up her observation form for her Journalism class.

Vern walked the two back up to their floor, insisting that he needed to converse with the department head. Katrin gagged at him – knowing it was just to be around April – and threw a pun in his face just for good measure.

“You’re more of a pain in the neck than Dracula,” she teased, trying to stifle her giggles as Vern clenched his fists and scrunched his face.

As the elevator doors opened Vern quickly stepped out, shaking his head. “You know, I’m _April’s_ partner, why should I have to put up with you?”

“Aw,” Katrin whined, fighting down her laughter. “Are you gonna cry?” She smiled brightly as he whipped his head around, opening his mouth to speak. “ _Boo_ hoo.”

“Unbelievable,” he stated, throwing his free hand in the air and turning hotly on one heel, marching down the aisle of cubicles, visibly fuming.

April put a hand on the girl’s shoulder and breathed happily. “Thank you,” she said, walking in step with her as they headed for their work desks, eager to get the paperwork out of the way and head home.

By the time they were done the sun was still in the sky, only just beginning to turn the atmosphere orange, the windows of far off buildings still barely visible. Katrin suggested Chinese take-out for dinner, so April obliged and offered to split the bill. Dinner that night was spent trading off the computer, Katrin needing to make headway on her stats homework and April checking her e-mail for any word on the new column.

“Oh hey,” she said, glancing to Katrin who sat next to her on the couch. “There’s a seminar at the end of December they’re forcing me to go to.”

The intern furrowed her brow and leaned over, peering at the notice and squinting to see past the strange play of lights over the screen as her angle was not optimal. “What for?”

April hummed and scanned the document, “Just for some bullshit on how to ‘train’ interns. Looks like you’ll have the place to yourself for a few days.”

Katrin groaned and flopped sideways onto the rest of the couch, letting one arm dangle dramatically off the edge. “I don’t like being here all by myself, what if aliens invade? I can’t use you as bait.”

The other rolled her eyes and looked at Katrin sideways. “Gee, thanks. Nice to know I serve such a great purpose.”

“Hehe, Hogoshaaaa~”

“It’s not being a guardian if you’re _using me as bait_!”

“Okay fine,” Katrin drawled, sitting back up. “But what am I supposed to do while you’re gone and there’s no one to make sure I don’t set the apartment on fire?”

April shook her head and saved the e-mail, then finished off the last of her noodles. “Look, if you’re really not wanting to be by yourself and act like a big girl, you can stay with the boys all weekend.”

Katrin winced and looked away from the hard stare that April was giving her. “Yeah but, spending the night is different than just hangin’ out for a few hours, especially with guys,” she explained, daring to look back at her mentor. “Besides, I don’t really want to leave the house empty either.”

Hence why April could sometimes be frustrated with her roommate. “Well then we’ll figure it out later. Right now, let’s get back to that box of science stuff, we’re almost through it.”

Four more consecutive nights spent filing through the box, making folders, putting them in order, and stringing them together finished the job, which made that Monday just a little bit sweeter. A celebration of hot chocolate and a guilty pleasure in the guise of a smutty romantic comedy was certainly in order. April even promised to take Katrin to see the boys after her classes let out the next evening.

Sure, Katrin didn’t mind visiting, when she was actually going to be able to visit and not lay around on the couch, finishing her statistics homework at the last minute like she _always_ does. But again, with April’s persistence and bribing with coffee, Katrin currently slumped on one end of the cozy worn sofa, her frappechino waving back in forth while she glared at the computer screen.

“What’cha doin’ angel cakes?” Mikey peered from over the back of the couch, resting his cheek on the crook if his elbow.

She huffed and grinned angrily. “ _Not_ math,” she spat venomously, eyeing her variables and percentages with care. She had to be missing _something_ …

“You look like you’re havin’ a hard time,” he observed, stepping around to look over her shoulder. “Wow, how do you make sense of those numbers?”

She scoffed and threw her head back with a laugh. “Ha! _I_ don’t have to make sense of _anything_ , my calculator literally doesn’t everything for me. There’s almost no actual math involved and it’s slightly irritating. Because if I get something wrong I’ve either misinterpreted the question _or_ I’m putting in the numbers wrong. And here’s the kicker, _there’s no way to tell which it is_.” At this point she was seething, as the normally thoughtless task had become a form of nightmare.

Mikey nodded thoughtfully, knowing he wouldn’t be able to offer much help. “You could just ask Donnie, he does this kind of thing in his sleep. I mean literally, I’ve heard him recite pi in his sleep.” He stopped and smiled for a moment, remembering how and why he knew such a thing.

A half a moment’s consideration was all she needed to set down her coffee and haul herself up, towing the laptop with her. It was obvious by the noise coming from the sealed off lab that it would take a little elbow grease to get Donnie’s nose out of God knows what. So, propping the computer on one hip, she raised her right hand and pounded on the metal door, hard enough to be able to hear the echoing ‘clang’ from _her_ side.

The deafening techno was lowered to a volume actual humans could hear, and Donnie pulled the door open as politely as he could.

Katrin raised her computer to his eye level and demanded, “I’m doing something wrong and I’m going to end up killing somebody. _Fix it_.”

Truthfully, Donnie wasn’t much of a pushover, but you never really saw him act otherwise until you got to know him a little better than she did. On the other hand, she was a girl, and pretty, and had the mental capacity to actually excel in college level math. Plus the slight pout was a bonus. “Alright, let me see,” he said, walking it over to his work table. He scanned through the question a few times and then looked at her out of the corner of his eye, smirking. “You didn't try permatuation did you?”

For a moment she thought the gears and springs in her head were going to explode. “But.. but… It doesn't matter! The order  _doesn't matter_! _It’s fucking blackjack_ ,” she hissed, balling her fists in her hair as her fingers trembled.

Donnie shrugged a shoulder and smiled, amused by the sight of a statistics fledgling. _Oh the headaches she’ll suffer_. “Well, I just tried it, and look at that, it even said ‘good job’.” He spun it around so she could see the reward text and little green checkmark.

She stared in shock and horror, realizing then that she suddenly hated statistics very much and the semester had only begun. “Fuck it, I wasn’t using my sanity anyway.” She took the laptop and looked at Mikey sadly, sliding to the floor to make herself comfortable.

Michelangelo nodded with a smile, “Just let me know when you’re done, babydoll, and then we can do something fun!” He shut the door behind him and left the two alone, wondering at the implications of such a thing.

It wasn’t that he’d be jealous or anything, quite the contrary, she seemed to be more Donnie’s speed when he thought about it. But she was a lovely young lady and he couldn’t help but treat her like a princess when given the chance, it was simply how he communicated with girls. Of course, that didn’t stop him from wondering whether or not his closet romantic brother had a chance. Maybe one day he’d ask for the odds.

Katrin plowed through what was left of her homework, moaning and nearly collapsing onto the floor when she finished. “No wonder we don’t even look when we cross the street. Like, we don’t give a shit, run us over, everything sucks anyways. Have I mentioned how much I hate statistics?”

Donnie hummed and answered, “Well the phrase ‘I hate statistics’ only comprised about 67.49% of everything you’ve said in the last forty minutes, you could probably stand to say it a few more times, at least once to get it in that middle section of the bell curve.”

She gazed at him, expressionless, and felt the fire roar to life behind her blank stare, coupled with a bubbling sadness. “Why do you hate me.”

“Oh I don’t, by any means. I’m just entertaining myself at your expense,” he snickered and peeked at her, cringing away as she rose to attempt some sort of fruitless attack. He easily batted away her halfhearted punches, but let her slap him on the arm just to be fair.

She scowled at him teasingly, then looked down at the project he had been tinkering with ever since she had entered the room. “So what abomination is this, sir Frankenstein?”

He pursed his lips and shook his head, wondering vaguely at her choice of words. “Well, since I’m a terrible liar, it’s not Creature’s companion,” he replied, playing on her knowledge of early literature.

“Oh darn,” she pouted, resting her chin in her hands. “Then it must be your reanimated wife!”

Again he smiled, but denied her assumptions. “No, it’s actually your Christmas present,” he confessed, keeping a trained eye on his work.

At this she stood up straight, her lopsided grin fading as a swarm of butterflies invaded her stomach. “But… you hardly even know me, how am I already deserving of a Christmas present?”

“Well, I like to get started early, just to account for any complications, and I figured by the time Christmas gets here you’ll have already gone through initiation,” he stated mater-of-factly, trying his best to hide the glint in his eye.

Katrin shrunk slightly into herself, her brain wildly picking apart the meaning of what he’d said. Usually when it came to being integrated into a group of boys for the long run – this sometimes applying to girls as well – an initiation was in order. Maybe it was childish, but it was a way to keep order and weed out the wannabes and pretentious assholes. This meant that he fully expected for her to already be a part of their pact before Christmas, which, to her, would truly be an honor. However, it also meant that she’d have to abide by whatever rules constituted the initiation, and the _ninja turtle_ part aside, it could be anything.

She forced herself to smile, playing off her momentary silence. “I guess that just means that I’ll have to hang around here more often so I know what to get you guys.” With a pat on the arm she dismissed herself to let him work, dragging the laptop with her and closing the door.

When she reentered the living room it was empty, no sign of April or any of the other brothers. She really hated to snoop around, but sitting on the couch by herself could be interpreted as just as rude, so she slinked past the kitchen and down the hall, passing the dojo as the space opened back up into a general rec room with various tunnels and rooms branching off that led elsewhere.

“Jesus, I’m gonna get lost down here…” she said under her breath, walking around to survey the comfortably cluttered room. She noted the power generator nestled in a web of cords, the mass of weights off to one corner, a secluded worship shrine towards the back, and most everything else was just _toys_. Like, big boy toys. Practice dummies, a jet powered skateboard, various boxes of old paperback novels, and a carefully constructed pillow and bean bag fort – which she would’ve made herself at home in, if it hadn’t been for the loud pop music drifting in from another room.

Katrin shuffled along the wall, following the music until she found the source. Mikey was jammin’ in one of the back rooms, the entire far wall constructed of stacked old school stereo radios like brickwork. There was a newer looking radio on the floor with an early version iTouch nestled on the top, the headphones wrapped and set neatly aside.

She watched him dance for a quiet moment before strolling into the room. “Damn son, you ain’t half bad!” she yelled over the music, smirking as he bent down to adjust the volume.

He smiled in kind, a slight bashfulness gracing his cheeks. “Nah, I just, you know, kinda mess around when I’m bored.”

The other hummed and nodded in agreement, “Well, if you’d like, maybe I could teach you what I know?”

Mikey’s eyes lit up as he bounced eagerly on his toes. “You know how to dance too?” he crooned, bringing his hands to his face hoping to contain his excitement.

Her smile widened and she sauntered over to his iPod, kneeling down to scroll through his extensive collection of music. She was able to find one she had ready choreography for, shooing him aside to make room. Mikey watched in stunned amazement for the entire two and half minutes, internally trying to organize all of his frantic compliments.

“Hot damn, angel cakes! Where’d you learn to do all that? You literally blew my mind!” He illustrated with wide eyes and an exaggerated explosive gesture.

They laughed and let the cool cement offer some comfort as they relaxed, reminiscing with old school hip hop and comparative modern music, finding the songs with the most words per second to see who could better keep up.

As they finished a particularly mellow song, Donnie rushed past the archway, skidding to a halt upon spotting Michelangelo. “Mikey! We have to go, suit up!” he barked, nearly overlooking Katrin completely.

She eyed him skeptically, trying to make sense of the array of macabre instruments hanging around his neck, off his shoulders, at his waist, and on his shell. “I was totally kidding about the Frankenstein comment earlier,” she murmured, rising to her feet as Mikey skittered out of the room. “What’s goin’ on, anyway?”

Donnie obliged her with an explanation as she followed him back out into the main area. “A few years back I hacked into the city’s surveillance system to track Foot Clan activity, so whenever I get a reading, we go out and make sure they’re taken care of.”

They stopped at the hub of computers, Donnie checking location, time, and other specifics, Katrin using the opportunity to take a closer look at his seemingly precarious arrangement of tech. Upon further inspection she noticed the drastic contrast simply in the kinds of technology that had been pieced together. “Okay, so I get the Nokia thing, but why in the holy livin’ hell are you carrying around _two_ iPads. How do they still even work?”

Without missing a beat he replied. “I’m just that good, remember?”

Katrin rolled her eyes and stepped aside, making room for the rest of the boys to hover over Don’s shoulders, asking questions and formulating a plan. April sidestepped around them to join her, mentioning that they should probably head out.

“Aw, we can’t go watch them beat up on Footsies?” Katrin whine jokingly, but the sarcasm had somehow gone right over Donnie’s head.

“Absolutely not, I wouldn’t want you getting hurt,” he replied offhandedly, not realizing what he had said until the pause had already surpassed awkward. “I-I mean, _we_ wouldn’t want you to get hurt…” Not wanting to give Katrin enough time to notice – assuming she hadn’t already – he grabbed he staff from the wall and made for the exit, the others following close behind.

As they barreled down a far tunnel, Mikey turned to shout, “Don’t worry angel cakes, I’ll let you know when we’re home safe and sound~!”


	6. 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think the idea of humans trying to play ninja turtle sports is hilarious. This could also effectively be titled 'how many times do we have to toss Katrin down a hole before she throws up'.

Katrin stood outside the office of the department head along with four other interns, waiting patiently as the boss made the final decision for who would be put in charge of the replacement newspaper column. The four other interns whispered quietly amongst themselves and stood pointedly away from Katrin, sending her sneers and odd looks every time they looked up.

At first she thought it was because she was technically considered an underclassman compared to them, as she was getting her intern requirement out of the way sooner than the average. But it had turned out that they might as well have taken a poll to see who they would elect to be that _one_ intern that everyone else would pick on. Because there’s always _that_ guy. And maybe it was subconscious on their part, but amongst them she knew she was the outcast anyway, from riches to rags and tea parties to street fights.

So Katrin just leaned against the door and acted like the others didn’t exist, instead putting her imagination to work on trying to distinguish the blobs behind the heavily textured glass. Two of the colored masses stood and came towards the door, slinking out with disappointment as they shepherded off their interns. She paid no mind to the hateful glares she received as they passed by, but tried not to smirk with condescension.

After another painful seven minutes, another employee emerged, disheartened and pride-stricken. This time Katrin didn’t try to hide the subtle pull of her mouth, but kept her eyes trained beyond the glass.

“What the hell are you smiling for, you pretentious bitch?”

Katrin looked up and over at the only other intern waiting with her, seemingly indifferent to her petty and unimaginative slander. “Oh you know, I just think it’s odd that you _all_ seem to think I’m beneath you, yet here I am~” she replied with embittering sweetness.

The other crossed her arms and leaned against the other side of the doorframe, pursing her glossed lips. “Well no worries, you won’t be here much longer.”

The two figures left in the room stood together and made for the door, the moment of truth upon them. They emerged with neutral expressions, but a trained eye told Katrin that underneath, April was glowing with satisfaction.

It wasn’t that she thought herself better than anyone else – even though she had the success record to prove it – but Katrin let herself the small additional victory of a smug grin as April led her away by the shoulder. Maybe she shouldn’t have laughed, but the girl’s howls of frustration were just so _hilarious_.

“Alright,” April said, dragging the box out of her cubicle and into Katrin’s. “So why don’t we go through our first file, put a few things in order, and then we’ll be done for the day,” she finished, her excitement flowing through her words.

Katrin leaned back in her chair and sighed, “Can we just take a moment and revel in the fact that _we basically have our own column._ Just, let that sink in.”

April took a deep breath and had to force herself not to laugh hysterically on the exhale. “I know, I know. It’s great. But we have to keep a level head and just get this one thing done so we can get out of here. When we do, we’ll stop by Antonio’s for pizza,” she promised, smiling calmly at her intern.

The other tilted her head up ever so slightly. “Is that just going to be code for ‘hangin’ with the bros’?”

“… Yeah.”

Katrin nodded once, before picking up the loose end. “But we _still_ go get pizza though, right?”

With a lighthearted groan April agreed, then pulled out the thick manila folder and set it on the empty section of the work desk, bringing her chair around so she could work comfortably. If the department head hadn’t waited until so late in the day to announce his decision, they would’ve been finished well before evening. However, two and a half hours later the folder was internally organized and ready to be used and turned into the first column article, and the clock read half past five.

They packed it in the box and carried it out to their car, nestling it safely on the floor in the backseat. Twenty-four minutes later they were toting four large pizza boxes down the entrance tunnel and into the den, stopping short to survey its emptiness.

“Where is everyone?” Katrin inquired, setting the boxes onto the kitchen island counter. She felt a little guilty just roaming the place with no one in sight, it made her feel nosey.

April put her ear to the metal door of the lab, hearing nothing but the silent and constant whir of machines that never ceased. “They must all be in the back,” she concluded, guiding Katrin past the kitchen and into the open ‘play’ room, noting that the dojo was also empty. However, the silence continued to reign as it too, was bare. April looked around once and immediately discerned the reason for a seemingly uninhabited den. “I know where they are, come on.”

She continued towards the back of the room, letting Katrin pause to inspect each passing room that branched off, commenting on the coziness of what she assumed to be their bedroom. April pointed out a few things along the way, leading her through a winding cement hall that was very obviously a bathroom.

Or, it used to be, until it had been completely ransacked and gutted, most of the plumbing rerouted to the other bathroom that Katrin has spotted on their way in. This one was bare except for a few benches, four large wash bins alone the right wall, the row of showers on the left, and a massive inlaid modified cistern with an overhead UV lamp just as big against the back.

Katrin paused and furrowed her brow, raising a finger to gesture questioningly. April nodded and smiled, “It’s like a giant hot tub with filtered rain water,” she explained quietly.

Inside of the giant hot tub were four very drowsy looking turtles, each leaning over the edge and either sleeping or reading. Michelangelo was the first to notice them, and drearily waved with a greeting, “Heeeyy, look who came to visit~”

The two walked over and acknowledged them in kind, each perching on the edge of a bench to avoid the wet tile. Katrin turned her eyes up to survey the industrial grade lamp and asked, “So what’s with the massive sun lamp?”

At this Donnie raised his head and marked his book, “Turtles are naturally poikilothermic, meaning that we require more UV exposure in order to regulate our body temperature and metabolism, process calcium, and prevent various types of ailments.” With that, he reopened his paperback, relaxing back onto the cool floor.

Raph peeked open one eye and scoffed. “Nerd.”

“Lout,” Donnie shot back, not bothering to look up.

April sighed and rubbed at her temples. “Literal five-year-olds.”

Before an argument could break out between them in front of their company, Leo chimed in sternly. “Guys, we have guests. Raph, you know better. Donnie, you’re smarter than that.”

“Yeah,” Raphael agreed, smirking, “That’s why he’s showin’ off.”

Leo groaned as Donnie fueled the fire. “Says the whipped egotist.”

This time April stepped in and asserted her feminine authority. “Will you two cute it out, it’s demeaning.” She cut Mikey a glare as he started to mock his brother for being chastised, and immediately ducked his head. “Now hurry up, we brought pizza.”

They left the boys to finish their squabbling and get dressed, opting to find something on TV to pass the time. Within a few minutes they heard the boys shuffle down the hall, grumbling and bickering at each other in a way that only siblings could. It was easy to hear them each take a box, and soon they found a spot in the living room to curl up and stuff their mouths.

As they got comfortable, Katrin muted the commercials and inquired, “So, what did the Foot Clan want last week?”

The four traded looks and took a silent vote on who would explain what had happened, Leo being elected unanimously. “Just another petty robbery, we think they’re trying to replenish some of the equipment they lost during our scuffle earlier this year. It wasn’t anything serious.”

Raph laughed around his mouthful of pizza before swallowing. “Not until Karai showed up.”

Leo looked at him flatly, expertly hiding the anger that began to fester behind his calm exterior. “We agreed not to ever discuss that,” he hissed, setting his jaw firmly to show that the conversation was over.

With a gently stern smack from April, Raph dropped the subject and went back to the half empty box in his lap.

Katrin didn’t want to press the issue but mentally wrote herself a memo to ask one of the others about Karai later, sensing a worthwhile story. “So,” she chirped, breaking the lingering silence. “What shall we do today?”

Mikey instantly perked up and eagerly finished the slice in his hand. “Oh, I know! We should teach her how to play capture the flag!”

With a nod, Donnie took up the empty pizza boxes and stood. “Yeah, we finally have enough people to have even teams of three,” he explained, setting the boxes by the entrance to be recycled later. As Katrin looked at him questioningly, he smiled. “I don’t suppose you’re afraid of the dark?”

* * *

This was a bad idea. She should have ever agreed to this. Ever. No matter how fun it sounded ten minutes ago.

She wasn’t necessarily afraid of the dark, but being in an unfamiliar labyrinth of old sewage tunnels where the scarce light flickered every so often was not what she agreed to. This was _not_ capture the flag. This was ‘let’s see who we can scare the shit out of the easiest’ otherwise known as ‘the flag is just an afterthought’.

Currently she crouched in a low ventilation space, tucked underneath Donnie as Raph loomed behind him. In the room below Mikey walked around in circles, guarding the two open tunnels and paying no attention to the three watching him from above.

“Okay,” Donnie whispered, turning to better see his brother. “Raph, you distract Mikey, we’ll head off to the left and meet you in intersection fourteen.”

Raph groaned and shifted his weight. “Why do I gotta take Mikey?”

“Because he doesn’t stand a chance against you,” Donne replied truthfully, knowing that stroking his ego was the best way to get him to cooperate.

Katrin wasn’t given any sort of warning, and before she was able to ask how she was supposed to get down, Donnie had her by the waist and she was suddenly falling eight feet against her will. Above them, Raphael launched himself at his brother, taking Mikey into a rolling tackle.

“Come on!” Donnie pulled her by the arm and guided her down the left tunnel and crouched down around the corner at the end, motioning for her to lay low. Beyond the end of the channel he could see Leo heading towards them briskly. “We need to distract him…”

The girl peeked around him to get a visual, then scanned the ground for something smooth with a little weight. “I got it,” she whispered, wedging a crumbling piece of cement off the corner at their feet. She took a few shuffles back and flicked the rock under her leg, skipping it across the ground with a series of echoing ‘thwunk’s.

Donnie wasted no time in hauling the two of them up into the mess of pipes above their heads, showing her how to stable herself and tuck her body. He watched as Leo silently barreled after the noise, pausing at the intersection and taking a left out of sight. “Nice one,” he commented, lowering her back to the ground. “Let’s go get Raph.”

They met up with the other turtle in the open mini hub that was intersection fourteen, skirting around the flooded pool in the middle. “Where to, Don?”

The other adjusted his glasses and silently drew a map in the air, mentally visualizing the cardinal directions before deciding on a course of action. “There’s a 79.3% chance that their flag is somewhere in the main storm water inlet drain,” he concluded, noticing how Raph became irritated.

“They _always_ hide it in there,” he grumbled, hauling himself into one of the runoff tunnels.

Katrin heaved to catch her breath before letting Donnie lift her up to follow suit, trying to keep a safe distance from Raph without getting trampled by the other. They stopped as the channel opened up into a massive circular room, a slowly churning pool of rain water swirling below, water feeding it from the pipes above as the evening rains set in.

“I have an idea,” Rpah said, moving to make room for Donnie to squeeze in next to him. He pointed to the yellow flag nestled upright in a busted pipe, guarded by all three team members. “When we jump down, pipsqueak can go hide in 281, and while we deal with Mikey and Leo, she can grab the flag and get back to base.”

Donnie ran the plan through his a head a few times to check for all potential flaws, coming up with contingency strategies for every outcome he could think of. “Sounds good to me,” he turned to the girl behind him. “You ready?”

She huffed and squared her shoulders. “Yeah, thanks for the heads up.”

Again the rush in her gut caused her to clench onto the firm arm around her waist, squeezing her eyes and bracing for impact. When she was safely on the ground she dashed for the open tunnel, letting the boys distract the other team until she was safely out of sight. She watched them fight, but noticed that the ferocity they displayed in the dojo wasn’t quite all there. April dodged and sidestepped the massive turtles, keeping close to the perched flag.

Within a few seconds there was an opening where April had been forced away from Katrin’s target, so she bolted, skidding around and in between the brothers. She snatched the flag from the pipe and turned, April suddenly upon her in friendly combat. Opting for pure defense, Katrin danced around her, ducking and rolling to put as much of the fight between them.

Raph grunted as he threw his little brother to the ground, spotting Katrin take off for the tunnel. “Donnie! She’s got the flag! I’ll get Leo, you get her to the base!” He hurled Mikey around at Leo as he lunged for him, nearly clipping the other as he ducked and ran for the girl.

She hadn’t gotten very far before Donnie caught up with her, sliding the flag in his belt and kneeling down. “Grab on, and don’t let go.”

Katrin didn’t exactly have time to argue or debate how _safe_ it was, so she tucked her arms behind his shoulders and held on tight, awkwardly tucking her feet at his sides. It then became very apparent why he was the one to take her back to base, because Donatello could _haul ass_. Maybe it was just because he was that muscular svelte type, but either way he was putting serious distance between the two of them and Leo, who had managed to evade Raph.

Donnie barely made a sound as he ran through the maze, gently but efficiently making turns with an almost graceful finesse. He took a drainage pipe up and out of Leo’s grasp as he closed in, telling Katrin to duck as he bent at the waist to regain speed. The end of the tunnel opened up to a large cavern, a rounded brick channel sloping downwards at the far end. He could hear Leo clashing with Raph behind them, and wasted no time in closing in on the far tunnel.

Katrin was set back on the ground and her gut dropped as she looked at the steep slope before her. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”

He laughed a little and pulled his bo free. “Just think of it as a giant water slide. Just, you know, without the water.” He backed up to get a running start, then took her bridal style down the massive chasm.

She screamed and latched onto him, curling into fetal position as much as she could. After a few seconds the initial fear of plummeting into the unknown subsided and she reverted to angry banter. “A warning would have been greatly appreciated!”

Donnie only laughed and dug his staff into the brick, smoothing out their constant fishtailing around turns. It took about thirty-seven seconds to reach the bottom, which Katrin couldn’t have been more grateful.

She staggered to her feet and bent over, taking deep breaths to clam her pound heart. “Please tell me we won’t have to do that again.”

“Nope,” he said, ushering her along the large open tunnel, encouraging her to keep pace with the promise of victory. As the tunnel came to a dead end, Donnie steered her off to the right and through a few more narrow passages, slowing down as they evaded capture. “There,” he called, pointing ahead of them. “See our flag?”

Katrin sighed happily and took off at a light jog. “Sweet Jesus,” she breathed, feeling as though no matter how far she ran she just simply couldn’t get any closer. And just as she came to edge of the light of their sanctuary, Michelangelo dropped in front of her from the overhead vent. Reflex threw her into a slide, and she tucked easily between his wide stance, determined to assure that her gut churning torture would _not_ be in vain.

Donnie swept at his brother’s feet, knocking him to his knees and giving him just enough room to vault over. As Mikey jumped back to his feet, he could only groan at the cries of victory as Katrin nested the yellow flag in next to their green one.

“Aw man, I almost had you,” he bemoaned, tucking away his nunchucks.

Raph and Leo dropped in from the other side, quickly surveying the situation. The leader frowned at the loss, but was content with how well Katrin had seemed to keep up. The other grinned and shoved Donnie affectionately by the shoulder, then turned to the girl. “Good job, pipsqueak.”

The five of them met up with April as they headed back to the den, the winning team deciding on how to celebrate. They settled for splitting the last tub of ice cream and having full dictatorship of that evening’s movie, much to the discontent of the others.

Katrin trudged in behind everyone else, having been physically spent. She noticed Splinter making his way towards them from the kitchen as the others made themselves comfortable. He tilted his head at her and voiced his concern.

“You look as though you’ve been chased by a _Basan_ ,” he said, his eyes flicking about his sons.

She jabbed at finger at Donatello and replied, “Because _that_ one threw me down a hole.”

The accused scoffed and crossed his arms. “You were perfectly safe, if you hadn’t screamed so much you’d be fine.”

Master Splinter continued to look between the turtles for an explanation, and when Mikey said that they had taught her to play capture the flag, he nodded with a smile. “Ah, so you must have won, yes?”

Katrin smiled triumphantly, resting her hands on her fists. “Yes we did!”

As they settled around the television to decide on a movie, Splinter made himself a small bowl of ice cream, then divided out the rest into three larger bowls before disappearing to his room. Much to Mikey’s displeasure, a horror flick had been chosen, causing him to hide beneath a blanket and lean over the end of the couch so that April could hold his hand. Leo took up the vacant chair while Donnie and Katrin huddled on the rest of the couch.

The echoes of screams and splattering blood filled the living room, Raphael rolling his eyes as Mikey had migrated to the floor to tuck under his brother’s leg, Leo whining at the constant trend of bad decisions on behalf of the main characters. Katrin and Donnie settled for nitpicking the effects and storytelling strategies, each subconsciously scooting towards the other to avoid having to talk above a whisper.

When the end credits rolled Mikey was the first to dismiss himself, mumbling a quick goodbye to the girls as he headed for bed. The rest slowly got to their feet, Leo neatly putting away the DVD in its respected box.

“So I guess we head home?” Katrin mused, tucking her hands into her pockets and looking at April.

She yawned and blinked wearily, “I don’t think I feel like driving home… how about we spend the night?” She looked up at Leo and Donnie, her gaze lingering longer on the former. “Do you guys mind?”

Leo shrugged a shoulder and stepped out of the living room. “I don’t see any harm in it,” he decided, turning to follow Mikey.

Donnie’s face flushed, but only Raph could tell. “Of course, I-I mean I wouldn’t want you driving in your condition anyway,” he stammered, forcing the nervous lump from his throat.

Katrin, however, wasn’t so eager. “April, that’s like, major territory invasion. I’ll feel weird.”

Her mentor stared at her unamused. “You worry way too much. Nobody has a problem with you spending the night, right Raph?” She looked up at the large turtle and blinked impatiently.

Raphael pulled the toothpick from his mouth and exhaled. “Nah.”

Against her better judgment, Katrin was led into the spacious bedroom where Leo and Mikey had already taken to making themselves comfortable amongst their nests of blankets and the occasional pillow. April instinctively crawled into Raph’s bed and went about adjusting the thick comforters and quilts, not noticing her intern awkwardly standing around waiting.

Eventually Donnie noticed that she hadn’t been given a place to sleep and addressed his brothers. “Hey, guys,” he gestured to Katrin. “She still needs a place to sleep.”

Mikey poked his head up from underneath his covers and smiled. “Ooh ohh, she can come snuggle with me!”

Leo turned his head and looked at the girl. “I wouldn’t if I were you, he farts in his sleep.”

“I do not!” the other protested, receiving a forceful pillow to the face.

Donnie groaned, “Come on, I’m not letting her sleep on the floor. Leo can’t you-“

“No.” The leader pulled the blankets over his head and rolled over, effectively removing himself from the list of options.

Katrin rolled her eyes and turned to Donnie. “It’s okay, really, I can sleep on the floor,” she assured him, smiling drowsily.

With an irritated huff, he placed his glasses on the dresser against the wall, then looked at her tiredly and pointed a finger at his bed. He watched as she slowly made her way over and crawled into the mass of equally divided pillows and blankets, instantly flopping in the middle.

“Sweet honey baby Jesus this is the most comfortable thing I’ve encountered. April I want one.” She received a grunt of disapproval in response, sighing as she picked out a blanket and curled up as close to the edge as she could.

Yes, the whole idea made Donatello feel exceptionally awkward, especially considering that he’d never really _shared_ his sleeping space with anyone before, let alone a girl. Dog piling on the floor never really counted, plus he didn’t have worry about accidentally rolling over and crushing one of his brothers. But he made himself find a comfortable position and forced his eyes closed, silently damning his chivalrous nature.


	7. 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kinda short since the other last one was longer. I like writing turtle interactions very much I think.

“You go wake her up.”

“Dude, she’s in your nest, _you_ go wake her up.”

“Yeah but she likes you.”

“Don. She’s _in your nest._ She’s totally got the hots for you.”

“ _Are you insane_. Do you have any idea how ridiculous that sounds?”

“Come on brah, you know I’m right. Just look at her, she’s gettin’ all snuggly with your favorite blanket~”

“If you don’t shut it I’m going to shove my bo so far up your-“

“Oh for shells sake, _I’m_ gonna go wake her up if one of you don’t move it.”

Raph loomed over his brothers, glancing irritably between Don and Mikey. April had sent them to go rouse Katrin twenty minutes ago so that they could go home. It was only about 4am, but she insisted on making themselves scarce to give themselves plenty of time to rest in their own beds before going about their day. This small request had turned into Donnie being too much of a wuss to do it himself, and Mikey teasing him for being so flustered.

Eventually Raph was asked to move things along, hence his current aggravation. Yes, Mikey could be a pain in the ass, and yes Donnie needed to man up, but part of him wanted the chance to fold her up in the comforter and carry her out into the living room and drop her _gently_ on the floor. So he remained right where he was, silently trying to persuade the universe to his favor.

Much to his disappointment – but also relief if looked at the right way – Donnie sighed and slowly edged his way into the bedroom, his nerves chipping at his confidence to be silent. With a few careful steps he was at the edge of his bed, peering down on the small, fragile looking little human. He felt his cheeks burn as he realized that technically he was starring, but he couldn’t seem to make himself move to wake her.

Except, she wasn’t actually asleep, as their less then stealthy whispered conversation had been plenty to stir her from her light slumber. Now she was just playing with them, her face tucked in just the right way that she could peek one eye open without anyone noticing. Though, the innocent shyness that Donnie was watching her with sent shivers down her arm, making her wish he’d hurry up.

“Come on, before April comes in here and bitches at _all_ of us,” Raph hissed, believing the girl to still be asleep.

Just as Donnie reached a hand out to lightly rock her shoulder, she threw herself upright and proclaimed, “Goodmorning~!”

It was just enough to land him unceremoniously on the ground, and he didn’t care enough to try and hide the girly scream as his shell hit the floor. Katrin leaned over the side of the bed and cringed, a lopsided grin plastered across her face. “Oh my God, are you okay? I didn’t think you’d freak out,” she confessed, holding a hand to her mouth in an attempt to hide her giggles.

At this point Mikey was on his knees and practically crying, while Raph was honest to God laughing. Actually laughing. The throaty kind that you can’t fake. And it wasn’t to belittle his brother, he generally thought that Donnie was pretty badass when he put his mind to it. But the way he fearfully screamed and threw himself to the ground because of a _girl_ was enough to make him lean on the arch for support.

However, Donatello was _not_ amused, and he righted himself with a huff, shooting daggers at the other two openly howling at his expense. He almost gave Katrin the same glare, before remembering that he had just made an idiot of himself in front of her, and opted to just march off and pout.

Katrin shuffled out guiltily, almost feeling bad that she hadn’t been able to scare Mikey like she had originally intended. As she entered the kitchen behind the two witnesses, one of which was still wiping his eyes, April shot her a look.

“What did you do,” she demanded, crossing her arms slowly and with deliberation.

The girl glanced over at Donnie, who scowled hotly at her from the kitchen. “I’m sorry it wasn’t supposed to be you,” she apologized, nearly failing to stifle her tittering laughter. When his mood didn’t lighten she shambled over to him and awkwardly wrapped her arms around as much of him as she could. “Don’t be mad at me.”

“I am mad.”

“Please no.”

“You scared the bejeezus out of me.”

“I’m so sorry it really was supposed to be Mikey.”

He squinted at her as she looked up at him, fighting the urge to squirm uncomfortably under her pleading gaze. “You do realize I now have full justification to get you back, right?” When she nodded eagerly he sighed and ruffled her already disheveled hair, moving to join the others as they waited to send the girls back home.

As they disappeared down the tunnel Mikey patted Donnie on the shoulder, smirking proudly. “Don’t worry brah, I got this.”

* * *

April pulled into their parking space and slid out of the car, checking her phone as it buzzed eagerly in her pocket. The Californian slang that was signature to Mikey popped up on her screen, followed swiftly with a picture.

As Katrin pulled the folder from their box of lab research, she frowned upon hearing her mentor snigger. “What? Why are you laughing?” Her glower deepened as April shook her head, denying her. She whined and pleaded, but was happily let down, making her wonder if the secrecy was some sort of cruel punishment.

Lunch came and went, they worked easily on the rough drafts for the column, and Katrin continued to gripe and fuss about how childish April was being. Sunday granted them an early leave, and they were able to get home before rush hour hit. However, it was well into the evening before April decided that her pupil’s punishment had been adequate.

“Okay fine, here. But don’t say I didn’t warn you,” April trilled, unlocking and handing over her phone. She watched for the girl’s reaction and absolutely was not disappointed.

* * *

Donatello was mortified. He felt humiliated and betrayed. And it was all Mikey’s fault. Except, _he_ was the one that had napped for too long, if he had just woken up before his little brother there wouldn’t be any evidence. But it wasn’t like he could help it, there was no way for him to know he’d do it. However, he could argue back and forth all night long and it still wasn’t going to change the fact that not only did Mikey have proof, but now everyone else knew.

He sat rigidly on the barstool in the kitchen, ducking his head as Leo and Raph approached him.

“Come on, Donnie, it’s not that bad,” Leo assured, taking up the other stool next to him.

“Yeah,” Rpah added, “Besides, I don’t think she was your type anyway.”

Leo shot him a stern look and doubled his efforts to comfort his brother. “I’m sure it’s no big deal, you’re just beating yourself up over it too much. She probably thought it was adorable.” Truthfully Leo was sure that he was wrong, but he also knew that a panicked Donnie was not a fun Donnie, and a little white lie would be best.

Before Donnie got the chance to argue, Master Splinter padded into the kitchen to join them for dinner. As he pulled a bowl of fruit form the fridge he was immediately assaulted by his youngest son.

“Sensei, you have to look at this!” he pleaded, ignoring Raph and Leo as they groaned his name. “Look,” he pulled out his phone eagerly found the picture. “Aren’t they adorable?”

Splinter tilted his head as he popped a grape in his mouth, studying the image carefully. He smiled faintly and looked at his distressed son. “I did not realize that you and Miss Katrin were-“

“ _We aren’t I just didn’t want to make her sleep on the floor_ ,” Donnie squeaked, burying his face shamefully in his arms.

The rat instantly understood the source of the troubled turtle, internally smiling as he got to witness another son experience the woes of budding affection. “My son,” he said softly, resting a paw on his arm to coax the other from hiding. “You express intelligence far beyond your years, and you have an ability to understand the obscure workings of this world that I’ve never seen.” As the other sat up he continued. “However, people cannot be read and interpreted the same way as similarly complex mathematical and scientific algorithms. It is simply impossible to know exactly what someone will say or think, humanity is never a consistent variable.”

Donnie sighed and nodded, grateful for how well his father was able to explain things exactly in a way that he would understand. And it ebbed his anxiety enough to focus on other things, like how Mikey had the audacity to _share_ it in the first place.

The rat would’ve settled for chastising Michelangelo for teasing, but a good chase around the sewer tunnels wouldn’t hurt either.

“I can’t believe you would do that!” Donnie yelled, tailing his brother easily.

“I couldn’t help it, you guys are just so cute!” the other shot back, ducking into a drainage pipe and sliding the short distance to the bottom, taking off to the right.

Donnie dove in after him, nearly catching the edge of his shell. “You didn’t have to take a picture!” He continued, carefully keeping a steady pace to prolong the pursuit.

Mikey skittered around another tunnel and kept moving, knowing that his brother was toying with him. “Aw come on, it’s nothing to be ashamed of!”

“Yes it is!”

The two danced around each other as they entered a small square room, Mikey having lost his initial chance to take the only way out. As he ducked under his brother and continued to move he tried a different approach, “Lots of people are cuddlers, Donnie!”

“ _Don’t even say it!_ ” the other howled, balling his hands into fists as he fought the urge to pull his staff free.

The younger began to huff as his stamina wavered. “But she looked so toasty and warm!”

_Oh that’s it._ Donnie yanked his bo free and took liberty with his extended range of motion, jabbing at the back of Mikey’s knees to drop him. As the grounded turtle rolled over, Donnie shoved a knee into his plastron to hold him down, bracing his staff against Mikey’s forearms.

“Chill out, brah! You’re overreacting!” Mikey gasped, matching the force to keep from straining his shoulder.

“ _Overreacting?_ Mikey, she’ll probably never talk to me again!”

Suddenly the other groaned with a sigh and dropped his arms, easily rolling Donnie off of him. “Bro, listen. Sensei even told you that there’s no way know these things. You can’t just assume she’ll hate you, I mean, who hates cuddles? They’re like the best thing ever.”

Donnie only stared harder. “Yeah, when you _know_ the person! If I’d have known I would’ve just dumped her on Leo!”

Mikey shook his head and help the other up to his feet. “You’re missin’ half the point. You got to do the cuddle thing with a chic, brah. And what if she doesn’t hate you? What if you’re wrong?”

Now Donnie could see what his little brother was getting at, and in a way he was being selfish. Instead of being thankful for the opportunity to be so close to someone he had slight affections for, he was dismissing it as something that shouldn’t have happened. And even though he didn’t act like it, Mikey was envious, of both him and Raph. Being the affectionate type and having absolutely no outlet was hard on him, and as close as they were, Donnie should’ve noticed.

“Yeah, okay,” he said, sheathing his bo as they started back towards the den. “But you still didn’t have to send it.”

At this Mikey chuckled, patting the other on the shoulder. “Let’s just say I hadn’t, how long would it have taken you to admit your feelings?”

“It was subconscious and I wasn’t doing it out of choice, so it doesn’t matter.”

“But you like her, so when you go to sleep, that goes to your subconscious.”

Donnie shook his head and argued, “Mikey, that’s not how that wor-“

“Just humor me, brah.”

The other bit his lip as he worked out the calculations, instantly embarrassed at how much of a coward he could be when it came to his feelings. “Until maybe next March,” he admitted. However, that wasn’t taking into that he was usually the most emotionally reserved internally.

Michelangelo folded his arms and smiled. “And that’s why I sent it. That’s too long, brah. You can’t sit on your feelings, you gotta let the lady know how you feel~”

“That’s easy for you to say,” Donnie replied, knowing full well that he still had no intentions of just blurting out his feelings, especially since he still felt that they were gravely underdeveloped for such confessions.

However, that morning, as he curled into his nest after meditation, he couldn’t help but notice the minute change in temperature within the confined space. _Why do I always have to notice everything._ It had only taken one night of her sleeping peacefully beside him to make it so that now he’d always notice when she was gone. _It was only one time…_


	8. 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can literally tell right exactly where the writing goes from 'okay' to 'this shouldn't be this good at 1am'.

Katrin drug herself into the apartment, tossing her bag by the door and fumbling to catch the wall as she closed the door behind her, the grimace on her face making April move from the couch.

“Are you alright, what happened?” she fussed, pulling her roommate off the wall and wound her arm around the other’s shoulders, carefully walking her into the living room to sit down, eyeballing her carefully for any sign of the obvious injury.

The girl fell into the cushion with a huff, her frizzled hair bouncing around her shoulders as she heaved under her Bronx style cutoff shirt, loose cargos crumpling against the cushion as her right leg trembled. Her tired eyes watched April as she pulled up one baggy pant leg, again inquiring. “I think I pulled a muscle and twisted my ankle in practice, I had to cancel early. Never even got to my advanced kids,” she laughed dryly, tensing her muscles with every pulse of agony.

Her eyes continued to follow April as she flitted about the apartment, the distress on her face growing with every pass. After revisiting the bathroom for the fourth time, she stopped in the hallway and passed a hand through her hair. “I don’t have anything that I can wrap your ankle with.”

With a groan, Katrin let her head fall against the back of the couch. “Ugh, does that mean you have to take me to the doctors?”

“No,” April replied. “It means I have to take you to Donnie.”

Katrin whipped her head forward and dug her nails into the fabric at her knees. “ _No_ ,” she spat, her eyes widening as her skin prickled with gooseflesh. “I can _not_ go back there.”

“For God’s sake, Kat, you have to. You’re being just as childish as he is,” April scolded, folding her arms over her chest as she scowled. “It’s not that big of a deal.”

The other growled as she hunched her shoulders and looked defiantly away from the other. Just because April was older and her name was on the bills and she was the mentor didn’t mean that Katrin always appreciated her motherly tendencies. “Good luck getting me down there.”

April scoffed and hauled herself away from the wall, her hands moving to her hips. “I have my ways.”

* * *

“This is _stupid_.”

From anyone else’s outside perspective it probably did look a little silly, Katrin precariously balancing on her skateboard with one foot while April carefully pushed her down the sewer tunnels.

“Well you didn’t want to sit on it and wouldn’t let me get a wheelchair, so-“

“Just keep pushing,” she grumbled, wishing that she didn’t need her arms for balance, otherwise she would’ve happily folded them with an added huff for show.

The door to the lair was wide open as usual, and April waved giddily at Michelangelo as he spotted them from the drum kit across the room, eagerly tossing the sticks aside. As he neared he picked up on the notion that there was an injured female and immediately became equally as fussy.

“Angelcakes! What happened! Who do I need to beat down?” He glowered at the thought of someone laying a hand on her.

Katrin shook her head and waved her hands and groaned, quickly reassuring him. “I fell during class tonight, no big.”

The two helped her to her feet and set her board against the wall, then April nodded over to Don’s lab door, much to Mikey’s excitement.

“Ooohh, that’s right, they haven’t seen each other since-“

“ _Can we please not go there thanks._ ” Katrin tilted her head and set her jaw, pressing her lips tightly together, staring him down as Raph lumbered in from the back room.

He flicked his eyes between the three of them, instantly noticing – but not commenting on – the way April was supporting the other. It only took him a minute to figure out they were there to see Donnie for medical assistance, and was partially relieved that his pansy of a brother would have to face his anxieties head on. “You finally gonna talk to him?”

Katrin sagged helplessly as the most intimidating of the brothers joined in her humiliation. “You know what, fuck it, I’d rather _suffer_ ,” she said shrilly, attempting to move away from April. As she did, her foot twisted awkwardly and she shrieked, her free hand flying to her mouth in embarrassment.

The lab door instantly slammed open, a wild eyed and slightly panicked Donatello standing tensely in the doorway. His brain whipped into gear as he quickly assessed the scene before him, moving swiftly to haul Katrin into the lab to be set on the metal table, his mouth moving to ask practiced questions as he went about gathering necessary instruments.

As Katrin answered him she could see the other three standing just outside of the room, watching her smugly as she glared back. Though, as Mikey mentioned leaving her in ‘good hands’, the others following suit, she was suddenly exceptionally aware that her and Donnie were very much alone.

She wasn’t very showy when it came to affection, mostly because it wasn’t one of those things she was totally comfortable with. When you go through your teen years with a bunch of overly hormonal boys there isn’t really any sort of _affection_ to speak of, just chaste kisses and hungry grinding. So _cuddling_ was absolutely not one of the things that happened, not that she didn’t necessarily like it, but from simple observations she knew that it was best done with someone you were in some sort of established relationship with. Of course she didn’t blame him, she wouldn’t have been aware it ever happened if there were no photo evidence, but now she couldn’t help but feel just slightly awkward about it.

“Does this hurt?”

_Holy fuck he’s ripping my leg off_. “Uh, y-yeah. Ow ow ow, sweet _Jesus_ ,” she whined, clenching her teeth and shoulders as her fingers gripped the edge of the table.

Donnie mumbled an apology as he went about wrapping her ankle, his heart tugging with every one of her hisses and trembles, appreciating how hard she was fighting to hide her discomfort. He’d dressed much more serious wounds in the past, and as much as Mikey would bitch and cry and make a scene, he would only roll his eyes and groan. But she was trying _so hard_.

When he was done he raised his hands and backed away, glancing nervously at her face before standing and replacing the little first aid kit in its cupboard. As he turned as saw her moving to slide off the table he held out a hand, “Whoa, you’re not done yet.”

“Oh come _on_ ,” she sighed, sulking as she slouched forward, pulling herself back onto the table.

“You said you pulled a muscle, which one?”

She frowned and realized that she didn’t the know the name of it, settling for pointing it out instead, running her finger along the underside of her leg from just above her Achilles tendon to just past mid thigh, poking a few times to make sure she’d gotten the whole of it. Her eyes widened nervously as the turtle pulled himself onto the table with her, gingerly moving her leg to drape gently over his own.

The position was far more intimate than what she had experience with, so to avoid any sort of eye contact, she laid herself down slowly and stared intently at the ceiling, her fists clenching as Donnie worked his fingers against her flesh, firmly massaging her aching muscles. Her heart drummed against her chest, making her feel a little foolish. Sure, popular culture had turned this sort of thing into something suggestive and romantic, but that didn’t mean it had to be, and her brain really needed to calm down and move away from _that_.

She winced and clenched and held her breath as he continued, forcing her eyes not to wander too far from the little speckle of that one part of the cement of that one section of the ceiling. Everything would’ve been fine if he hadn’t have said anything about it.

“So, um,” he coughed, his fingers twitching. “I heard that you saw…” his voice trailing off as he audibly swallowed.

Katrin went rigid, making her squeak quietly as her leg clenched painfully. Her breath came out forcefully, and she knew that there was no way to make the imminent conversation any less painful than her currently throbbing leg. “Uh, yeah. A-April showed it to me.”

He was quiet for another moment, trying to focus on finishing as quickly as possible. “I’m uh, sorry about that. I didn’t know that I-“

“It’s okay,” she said quickly, sparing him as much as she could. “I wasn’t too keen on sleeping on the floor anyway.”

Donnie nodded despite knowing she couldn’t see, greatly relieved to have addressed the issue and supposedly be done with it. Instead he focused on pressing his fingertips and palms against her muscles, being as gentle as the naturally painful act would allow, his ears still acute to the sounds of her hissed breaths.

If the damage hadn’t been quite so extensive, he wouldn’t have had time to start noticing how soft her skin was, how pale she was above the knees, and just how much he didn’t care that she was a little rounder than was stereotypically desired.

By the time he realized that he was caressing more than massaging it very well may have been too late, but if Katrin had noticed she kept her mouth shut. However, the rush of blood to her cheeks didn’t go entirely unnoticed, be he decided not to do the math on how large the percentage would be that her nervousness had anything to do with his roaming hands.

“Alright, you should be fine,” he stammered, reluctantly removing his hands to slide off the table, knowing that if he continued much longer it would quickly enter into the realm of uncomfortable weirdness. He helped Katrin to her feet, pointedly keeping his eyes averted as they shuffled out into the living room, where the rest of the turtles and April waited patiently.

As their heads turned and the various looks of concern flitted across their faces, Katrin began to feel both flustered and quite small. “Oh God, it’s like prom all over again.” An explanation wasn’t going to be given, but the sight reminded her of her senior prom when almost every boy in the courtyard gawked simply because the least feminine girl in the entire school was in a dress. It was like she suddenly became the eighth wonder of the world.

Similarly the boys and April watched her intently as Donnie slowly guided her to the couch, intentionally not allowing his eyes to stray to his brothers. Once he gave Katrin the last available seat – because Mikey was sprawling over most of the couch – he stood awkwardly beside her and desperately looked for something to focus his attention on.

“So what happened?” Leo inquired, breaking the silence as easily as he could.

The girl rubbed at the back of her head and looked sheepishly down at her bare feet. “The rational part of my brain decided not to show up today, so when I was teaching my intermediate Hip Hop class I decided that trying to break before stretching was a good idea. And it was not.”

The leader seemed puzzled and ventured a little further. “I didn’t know you danced.”

Again she ducked her shoulders and twiddled her thumbs. “I learned from the boys I went to school with, it was our way of being rebellious pre Harvard students. After I moved in with April I decided to use it to help pay rent, so now every Thursday I teach at a studio.”

Mikey began grinning and caught his brother’s eye. “You should see her brah, she’s tight! I’ve never seen anyone that good,” he praised, loving the way she shyly puffed out her cheeks and pursed her lips.

Finally April turned her gaze to Donnie and asked, “So, what’s the word, Doctor D?”

The mentioned pressed his lips together and darted his eyes the other direction as he moved his glasses up his nose. “She’ll have to stay off of it for a few days, I don’t think it’s broken, but she came pretty close. I absolutely would not recommend letting her go to work with you,” he explained, catching the gears of April’s head turning. “And no, crutches won’t cut it. It needs to be iced at least a few times a day and be kept in a level position as much as possible.”

Katrin moaned obnoxiously and sagged against the well worn armchair. “I can’t just stay indoors by myself for _days at a time_. I’ll freakin’ lose it!”

Suddenly Michelangelo’s eyes brightened and he sat fully upright to get the attention of his brothers. “What if she just stayed here?” When he saw the looks of protest he quickly reinforced his idea. “No no, listen! Donnie would be right here if anything happened, and we could keep her busy! I bet Don could even fake a doctor’s note for the boss man,” he finished, impressed at how well thought out it all sounded.

Slowly the others talked it over, eventually agreeing that for once, Mikey actually had a pretty sound idea. Katrin, on the other hand, was not so enthusiastic. Of course she loved spending time with them, and getting to know all of their little quirks and the things that made them _interesting_. But then there was the issue of Donnie playing doctor while there was still an air of questionable intentions between them, which both knew very well would take some time to sort out.

“Alright,” April said cheerily, standing and straightening out her yellow jacket. “I’ll stop by the house and get you some extra clothes, text me if there’s anything specific you want me to bring,” she said, bemused by the distantly confused look of her roommate as she headed out of the lair.

For the hour and a half she was gone Michelangelo prepared dinner slash breakfast, keeping conversation flowing even though she was confined to the couch. Donnie bustled over a few times, once to elevate her leg with pillows, then again to unrefusably offer her ice, and one last time to make sure she was adequately bundled in blankets as the den began to cool.

Mikey wouldn’t say anything about it while she was around, but he couldn’t help but notice how naturally yet subtly flirtatious his brother was. He knew Donnie wasn’t aware that he was doing it, and to him he was only being kind, but Mikey could pick out from across the room very distinct motions and looks that showcased his subconscious feelings to anyone who bothered to watch close enough.

By the time April arrived, a large overstuffed tote slung over one shoulder, dinner was finished and Mikey was serving up bowls of chicken noodle soup, homemade fresh and mostly from scratch. She joined them as they sat around in the living room as not to leave Katrin out, Splinter included. They talked easily and freely, the boys not feeling as though the presence of Katrin had any effect on their open conversations.

April left soon after finishing her bowl, thanking Mikey profusely for a wonderful dinner, waving as she promised to keep in constant contact and demanding a full daily report from Donnie. Once she was gone Splinter took a few moments to make absolutely sure that Katrin was as comfortable as she could be before returning to his room, leaving her in the hands of his sons.

* * *

It wasn’t that she didn’t appreciate the way they fussed over her – it was mostly Mikey anyways, which was to be expected. But she was so unused to being cared for with any sense of affection. She was raised by maids until she was twelve, and most of them only did it because they were getting paid. So to have people – boys no less – take so much time in assessing to her comfort and granting her their company willingly was not something she knew how to deal with. It was _weird_.

But she didn’t complain or deny offers of entertainment, graciously accepting them with as much politeness as she could remember how to use. Mikey spent the most time with her, introducing her to new shows and also exciting her with old MTV reruns back when they still played music videos. Donnie only hung around to check her ankle, massage her numb leg, and regulate her painkiller intake. Every once in a while Leonardo would give her a break from the youngest brother’s eccentricities, offering instead to play game or two of chess, insisting it was a game that Splinter had helped him use as a leadership tool and _not_ something him and Donnie play in their spare time when the need was felt. Raphael only stopped by once, simply to ask if there was anything he could do for her and obliging with a can of Orange Crush from the secret stash that he wasn’t supposed to know about.

She pulled an all-nighter in an attempt to regulate her sleeping schedule to be more in time with theirs, only dozing when they stepped out to do a quick patrol of only the most problematic areas of the city.

As the sun began to rise they excused themselves for meditation, leaving her to sketch out choreography as she began to feel unproductive. When they reemerged it was very obviously bedtime, and Katrin was already slowly slipping under. She opted the stay on the couch on the condition that at least one of them stayed in the room with her. Mikey instantly begged for the opportunity, and smiled happily when she nodded faintly, racing off to acquire sufficient bedding. While he was away, Donnie removed the half melted ice and gave her leg a quick rub down, pleased when she didn’t whine as excessively.

Katrin was wrapped lavishly in four quilts of varying textures, nestled amongst more pillows than she could count on both hands, and was gifted with a warm glass of milk which she accepted bashfully without a word. She slept soundly and only awoke once, wondering vaguely at the sound of the unmistakable crinkle of a pop-tart wrapper before dismissing it entirely.

* * *

When she awoke, the elaborate neon clock on the wall opposite her told her it was nearly seven in the evening, and as he rubbed the sleep from her eyes, a furry figure drifted past her vision.

The rat chuckled lightly as she attempted to struggle for coherent thought, smiling at him softly. “And here I was worried they would not be hospitable enough,” he mused, gesturing to the excessive cocoon.

She snurked quietly, her lips tugging her smile wider. “Well I never got cold,” she replied, attempting and failing to sit up without a painful reminder.

Splinter frowned at her discomfort as she reluctantly leaned back against her throne of mismatched pillows, stroking his whiskers thoughtfully. He would’ve offered her assistance, but ultimately knew that Donatello would be disappointed at losing even a minor opportunity to nurse her, as his affections were quite notable by the way his favorite blanket was wrapped closest to her shoulders.

Instead he settled for placing a gentle hand on her injured leg, silently concentrating healing thoughts before offering to at least get her a glass of water. He smiled as she accepted eagerly, passing his sons as they all filed into the open living area to address their house guest with remedial questions and a suggestion for breakfast.

The vote for pancakes was nearly unanimous and as Mikey hurried off to begin, Donnie knelt down to assess the knots of Katrin’s muscles. They hadn’t gotten much better since last he checked, but a little bit was better than not at all, deciding that another thorough massage would kick her body in gear.

She squirmed and growled and fisted her hands into the blankets, having to shove her face into one of the many pillows as Donnie’s fingertips met a particularly painful knot cluster. They both knew she was only outwardly displaying her discomfort for his sake, the constant fussing keeping the situation from getting too psychologically intimate.

Breakfast couldn’t have been served soon enough, and the round of praise was well deserved. Katrin was again duly impressed by his culinary skills, mentioning that even the five star cooks her aunt and uncle hired couldn’t match his sheer awesomeness. As Raph and Leo helped with the dishes Donnie carefully removed the bulk of the pillows and folded the blankets – letting her keep the purple fleece one just in case – and set them aside for the next morning.

“So,” she began awkwardly, her eyes shifting between her fingers. “How am I supposed to get cleaned up?”


	9. 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Relationship development (kind of) yeah!

In all honesty he really should’ve seen it coming, and he could not fathom why it had not been a considered variable. He literally thought of everything else, down to portion sizes of food still left in the fridge, how often they’d have to move about to negate the extra oxygen she’d use up, he even made sure there was some sort of brain stimulus for every personality type known to Myers-Briggs. But for whatever reason, how she was going to bathe was not part of the delicate equation.

He stammered as his muscles went rigid, obtrusive fleeting images threatening his calm demeanor. “Uh, well…” he wracked his brain desperately for a solution, relieved when one finally came to mind. “You’re more than welcome to use the hot tub, the heat should help relax your muscles,” he offered.

Her face brightened slightly, holding her hands out so that he could help her off the couch, shouldering her bag of mostly clothes as she stood. They shuffled past the kitchen, the three other brothers stealing glances as Donnie shuffled her to the back of the den.

A fresh towel was laid out for her and he made sure to set the bubbles to a gentle roll. “Just yell when you’re done, one of us will come help you back to the living room,” he stated evenly, refraining from using ‘I’.

Once she was alone Katrin wrestled out of her clothes, folding them neatly in a pile and placing them with her things. It took some concentration, but she was able to move the six feet from the bench to the tub without furthering her bodily damage. She soaked for a good hour before deciding that her level of pruning was adequate, and again had to get creative in order to safely make it back to the bench. Once there, drying off and redressing was manageable, and after she packed away her dirty clothes she hollered for assistance.

Michelangelo came bounding into the room, eager to be a gentle crutch. Once she was supported properly he hobbled her back into the living room where Donnie was waiting with fresh ice and impatient hands.

“How do you feel?” Don asked, situating a few pillows for sufficient elevation. When she was comfortable he moved to drape her injured leg over his, making sure his petty excitement was under control as his hands began to move over her skin.

She winced once before relaxing again, used to the deep tissue throbbing. “Better, the aching is mostly gone.”

He nodded and continued in silence, relieved that that knots were beginning to soften more noticeably. A few minutes later Master Splinter was alerting them to their nightly training session, allotting Donatello some extra time to make sure he did a thorough job before wedging the ice beneath her calf and thigh.

With a groan she thanked him, then rummaged around in her bag for something to do while they were unavailable. The two hours flew by much quicker than she had anticipated, a glance up at the clock notifying her to just after eleven. She turned her head as she heard them exit the dojo, relieved at the thought of company until a blaring siren echoed through the underground den.

The four groaned in unison before Leonardo snapped them into focus, assessing the situation with Donnie at his side, pointing out the statistical specifics. Raph and Mikey were sent to ready the Shell Raiser, allowing the other two to form a simple ‘kick ass, get out’ plan.

Katrin frowned dejectedly as Donnie knelt beside her to double check that she’d be alright while they were gone. “So what’s it this time?”

He sighed and shook his head. “It looks like another break-in, we shouldn’t be gone for very long. If you need anything, Master Splinter will be here.” He turned abruptly and jogged off after his brothers, disappearing into the tunnels and vanishing.

The rat, who had followed them from the dojo, slid into the inlaid living space as he stroked his whiskers with agitation. “This is becoming a much too common occurrence,” he said to himself, though fully intending for the girl to hear.

“What do you mean?” she asked, hoping that she wasn’t delving into some unspeakable thing.

Splinter sighed and steepled his bony fingers. “A few months ago we had our fight with the Shredder, my sons managed to save the city and throw him into hiding. But ever since there have been many little skirmishes, and they’ve all been the same. Foot Clan attempting to steal machinery, but for what we do not know. Leonardo suspects it is to replace the damaged equipment they lost, but I do not wish to wholly believe that which I do not know to be certain.”

She was quiet for a moment before pressing on. “Do you think he’ll come back?”

At this he chuckled, “If there is one thing I _do_ know for certain, it is that Shredder is relentless. However, there is no telling how soon he will strike, though I wish to indulge the belief that we still have some time at peace.” He waited as the feeling lingered in the air, then decided to lighten the mood. “Why don’t I teach you how to play _Riichi_? It will help pass the time,” he offered, moving to the shelf beside the TV and gently coaxing down a midsized box.

Katrin tilted her head as he moved the coffee table closer to her. “It sounds complicated,” she admitted, ogling at the vast array of small tiles within the box.

“You know how to play mahjong, yes?”

“Yeah,” she drug out, still slightly unconvinced it was going to be that easy. Her eyes followed his hands as he set up the tiles on the board, explaining the differences as simply as he could.

The start of the first game was slow, as Splinter helped guide her through her turns and explained his in kind. As she quickly picked up the subtle play differences, conversation carried on easily.

“So, where are you from, young one?” he inquired, eyeing the board thoughtfully.

Katrin inwardly cringed at the thought of divulging any part of her distant past. “Morocco, actually.”

His eyes darted up to meet hers in surprise. “Your parents are Moroccan?”

She snickered and shook her head, rubbing a tile between her fingers. “No, most of my family is American, but my Dad was Egyptian, and his brother and _his_ wife lived in Morocco for most of the year. My Mom just happened to be visiting when I decided to promptly vacate the tummy,” she explained, smiling vaguely at the thought of the photo of her parents sitting beside her bed at home.

Splinter nodded and internally assessed her play, running his fingers over his own tiles. “Why is it, then, that you live with Miss O’Neil?”

Here Katrin had to forcefully relax, not usually reminiscing on the demise of her parents. “Well, my mother died during childbirth, and my father was in the plane crash on his way to Morocco to see us. I was then placed in the prudish hands of my aunt and uncle.” Her voice was even, though her thoughts were suddenly jumbled with past images of the lavish mansion and its various servants.

“I am sorry to hear such a thing,” he said softly, finishing his turn to let her mind focus on other things, slightly changing the subject. “Did you much enjoy living in Morocco?”

The girl shrugged a shoulder and replied, “It was beautiful all year long and my aunt and uncle were like… _stupid_ rich, so materialisticly I got just about everything I wanted. But it was like living in one of those old cliché British movies. I was raised by the maids who took care of me for the money, I studied fields that I had zero interest in, we had tea three times a day aside from meals, I wore nothing but frilly dresses, and practically the only other human beings I saw were also obnoxiously wealthy. The lifestyle didn’t make up for that fact that they only adopted me to keep up their reputation.”

Silence reigned for the next handful of turns, each surveying meticulously before making any sort of move. Again, the rat egged on the conversation. “How did you end up in the states?”

Finally Katrin smiled, the story entering into the part of her life that began to shape her into the person was currently. “By the time I was ready for middle school I was more of brat than they were willing to handle, so they sent me to a boarding school in New Jersey, claiming that they wanted me to have the best education they could give me. It was basically Junior Harvard, but man we were all a bunch of rule breaking, smart mouthed punks.” She giggled as she continued her story, her turns coming easily to her now. “I’ll never forget that time I nailed a kid in the face. At first I got picked on for being the snotty little rich princess type, and it was usually from jealous girls. But the first time a boy poked fun at me I popped him so hard in the mouth he fell backwards into his little herd of gangly sheep. After that I was pretty well left alone.”

He chortled at the thought of a little girl squarely hitting anyone in the nose, even though it was something he would’ve punished his sons for. “I take it you enjoyed your more recent years?”

She nodded happily, beginning where she left off. “I was finally able to do things that I wanted without having someone smacking my hand all the time. It felt so good to get rid of all my dresses, all the girly pink hair bows and especially the uptight, rich societal gimmick. Sure I slacked off a lot of the time and I had my phase like everyone else, but the freedom was worth it, and growing up with boys taught me how to be a fighter. If I hadn’t been sent here for school I’d still be wearing petticoats and sticking my pinky out for everything.”

They played through to the end of the game, Katrin happily willing to begin another. This time she helped set up, opting to keep the story from hanging. “Even though I was sort of brat when I first got here, I’m glad I straightened out the way I did. I don’t think anything teaches you quicker than being embarrassed in front of the people you see every day,” she continued, smiling as the rat nodded in agreement.

“It is nice to have someone around to occupy them that understands their brotherly ways. April is a blessing to us all, but I don’t think she connects with them on the level that you seem to have managed.” Splinter tilted his head at the board layout, eyeing a few tiles intently before deciding. “They did not grow up with a mother, and April has been a wonderful substitute when needed, but I believe there’s a lot to say for a girl who knows how to, how you say, ‘hang with the bros’.”

She laughed good naturedly and went about pairing her tiles, mulling over a question before asking. “You really think they like having me around? I thought Leo was gonna kick me out when he first saw me,” she confessed, though meaning no disrespect.

Splinter nodded faintly before answering. “Leonardo has trust issues like all of his brothers, but being a leader has put extra responsibility on his shoulders. He does not believe that much kindness could exist in the world for them, which can make him seem harsh when he is otherwise very kind. But I think he has come to accept you as a regular guest,” he said, carefully choosing his words.

Katrin hummed thoughtfully while making her turn. “What about Raph?”

The rat grinned at her curiosity, “Raphael has emotions just as the others, but he does not show much other than anger and aggression. Sometimes I fear that he will always be bad tempered, but the reality of rejection is not one he wishes to face if it can be avoided. Though, I believe April is instilling within him a sense of self-confidence that he previously did not possess. As for you, it will take some time, but I am sure he will come around, as long as you are fully accepting.”

As another game was through, Splinter opted for a different game, one to test her foresight and strategic skills. “I do not suppose you play Rummi?”

She perked up and smiled. “As in Rummikub?”

His smile grew at the thought of a willing opponent, as Donatello was usually the only one who ever offered to play and it very quickly became apparent that Splinter simply wasn’t much of a match. So he replaced one box in favor of another, the two of them setting up quickly and eager to play.

“I haven’t played this game in forever, most of my guy friends weren’t very good at it and I kept wounding their pride.” She sniggered as they finished flipping the tiles facedown, each drawing their hand.

They played and talked easily about other things, Splinter divulging a little of their background and embarrassing turtle tot stories. It had been nearly two hours since the boys had left by the time they bustled back in, all exhausted and aching in at least a handful of places.

“My sons,” Splinter addressed, standing and turning to them. “Are you alright?”

They nodded while Leo offered explanation. “They made us chase our own tails for a while, but it was still the same thing. Bust in, kick their shells until they run, get out.”

Donnie automatically, and almost listlessly, shuffled over to the couch to remove the ice and slip off again, leaving Katrin’s leg feeling oddly numb and hot. Splinter graciously stayed to finish their game before placing a paw on her shoulder to thank her for her company, padding off to see to the boys.

“Angelcakes, how you doin’?” Mikey strode into the living room, the only signs of the fight being one tight bandage around his left wrist. “You miss us?” as asked smiling.

She playfully made a face at him before replying with a snide comment, letting him know that she was absolutely glad for their return. As Donnie shuffled back in he shooed off the younger brother, taking up the familiar place between her knees, habitually resting her leg within easy reach of his hands.

The others left the two alone to look awkwardly around each other, a painful display for anyone who was nosey enough to watch. Raph and Mikey stood at the hall entrance by the kitchen, talking quietly as they watched the two on the couch.

“Look at him, Mikey, he’s pathetic,” the older one sighed, rolling a toothpick between his teeth.

“As I recall,” the other began, “you weren’t too eager to tell April how you felt.” The dangerous glare triggered his hands to raise in surrender. “Hey, you wouldn’t have said anything if I hadn’t planned dinner that night. I think all Don needs is a little push~”

Raph caught his brother by the shoulder as he began to move, pulling him back against the wall. “As much of a wimp Donnie is, I seriously doubt he needs _your_ help.”

Michelangelo pouted and instead decided a fridge raid was in order, eagerly picking out something for lunch. He saved the leftover soup for Splinter and opted for chicken and rice, an easy but flexible dish that no one ever seemed to turn down.

Lunch was ready in record time, and the rest of the day played out much like the previous, except most of Katrin’s company consisted of Mikey and the occasional brief and impersonal visits from Donnie.

As the night wore on and the promise of daylight loomed, the boys disappeared for their morning training session and meditation, giving Katrin the opportunity to slip into her pajama shorts and a tank top. This time Mikey turned down the offer of staying with Katrin in the living room for the day, eyeing Donnie expectantly. The latter glared halfheartedly before leaving the bedroom to escape any further teasing.

As he went about the lair he shut off the main lights, bathing the place in darkness save for the little yellow lamp next to the couch. He quietly went about rebundling the girl with the extra blankets and letting her arrange the pillows how she saw fit.

She watched him shyly, complying as he gingerly moved her good leg off the couch and took its place, tucking one leg underneath himself as he got comfortable. It was like a routine now, something he did with the same amount of precision and care as everything else, if not more so. He might not have looked it on the outside, but inside his heart was warming and butterflies danced through his veins.

It was hard, at first, to bypass the initial nervousness of having to physically touch her in order to help her, but after a few times he was able to keep his anxious mind from distracting him. Now it was something he looked forward to, but it took some effort to keep his excitement from his face. He loved the softness of her skin, and that she seemed comfortable enough not to question how or why.

Her face flushed as a shot of tingles ran up her leg and settled in the dip of her hips, her fingers twitching to grasp at the blankets. Then a spear of pain tore through her leg as his fingers dug into the large knot still nearly all the way up the back of her leg. He paused as she hissed, leaning over until the waves subsided.

Donnie cringed at the sound of her discs shifting and popping, his eyes anxiously darting around the dark room as if worried the sound had woken the others. Before she settled back against the pillows he held out his hands. “Here,” he said, holding her arms in his hands as he gently pulled her forward, then twisted her to either side to elicit a few more cracks. “You might want to let me do your back,” he suggested, suddenly very nervous when she nodded in agreement.

Carefully he eased her forward, just enough to give himself room to sit behind her. As he sat back down she pulled her hair over one shoulder and leaned forward, making his mouth go dry as he tried to swallow. Slowly, he lifted his hands to slide them under her top, feeling around for her sore muscles.

Though surprised, Katrin didn’t attempt to pull her shirt back down, slightly comforted by his warm and firm hands. She sighed and hummed as he kneaded her flesh, sucking in her breath when he dug into a sore spot. Several minutes passed by as he slowly worked out the knots of her back, being as gentle and thorough as he could.

It took some time, but eventually his fingers had worked out the knots, though he continued to methodically rub circles up and down the sides of her spine, into the back of her hips and in between her shoulder blades. He began to notice her breathing slowing, shallowing out, indicating that she was beginning to fall asleep. As she finally drifted off he kept his hands placed firmly on her shoulders to keep her from leaning too far in any one direction.

_Okay, Donnie. Now what._ Currently he was in an awkward position, and all three courses of action he could see to take had equally elusive probabilities as far as outcome was concerned. He could either wake her up and move from his position behind her, simply get up and lay her back down while she slept, or he could stay put and just drape a quilt over them both. A very large part of him argued towards the latter most option, but a very acute voice reminded him of the torment he’d already endured due to a nearly identical situation.

Reluctantly, he rubbed her arms and whispered her name, trying to slowly ease her awake. As she began to stir her skin prickled and a shiver crawled over her body, making her curl into herself and search blindly for an available blanket. He graciously took the opportunity to slide off the couch and ignore the tingles that crawled over his skin where he had been touching her.

She looked up tiredly at him, confused and probably wondering how he got there so fast. But she let him gently push her back against the pillows, squirming and arching her back to adjust, something that very much did not go unnoticed. Just as she looked content enough to fall back asleep, her head jerked and she groaned.

Donnie held a hand out reflexively, asking, “What’s wrong?”

Katrin sighed and forced herself up, ignoring the dull throbbing in the back of her leg. “Bathroom,” she stated flatly, holding her hands out so that he could help her up and shuffle her around.

He obliged without complaining, happily wrapping a stable arm under her shoulders as she awkwardly tried to hang onto him, the sheer size difference being a small challenge by itself. Once the bathroom lights were flipped on he waited patiently by the entryway, his mind jumbling thoughts together as it tried to focus on one singular complete thought.

The only common specific linking the ragged thoughts together was the simple fact that he was developing feelings for someone who not only was very much a natural tomboy, but was also so drastically out of his league that the mere thought was almost hilarious, in a sad sort of way.

It wasn’t something that they particularly dwelled on for any sort of regularity, but ever since Raphael and April had gotten together their perception of the idea seemed to change. He began to subconsciously put more thought into what he would look for in a companion, if only to entertain himself. Truthfully he was a little surprised at what he’d come up with, as the traditional nerds – such as himself – were traditionally attracted to the unrealistically gorgeous and feminine women.

But he wasn’t. Sure he could appreciate someone who could be feminine and even get dressed up on occasion. But he far more favored natural beauty, and it was almost uncanny how Katrin seemed to epitomize his attractions. She wasn’t a textbook hourglass like April was, but she was active and motivated, she had passions and immense curiosity, and she wasn’t ashamed of who she was or what she looked like.

Ultimately, she was a fighter, even when he was the one inflicting the pain. After running those thoughts through his mind he realized then that it was going to be very hard _not_ to get involved with her on any other level beyond adopted sisterly figure, if she would even let him. But he was yanked quite literally back into the cold dampness of the den as Katrin pulled gently on his arm to get his attention.

He quickly got her back to the couch, his shoulders quivering over his muscles slightly as she grasped tightly on his arm for support. As she lowered herself awkwardly onto the couch she lost her footing, her fingers clutching at him as she was startled fully awake. His arms extended instinctually to catch her, one behind her back and the other around her hips, though she still agitated her pulled muscles enough to stifle a cry.

As he lowered her carefully onto the pillows she made the mistake of looking up, her eyes instantly meeting his. The blood in her veins ran cold and she felt very vulnerable under his placid stare, but not endangeringly so. Their faces were mere inches from each other, something that Donnie had not exactly intended when he reached out to catch her. But her hot, ragged breath sent shivers along his arms and for just a moment he seemed to have somehow shut down.

They continually looked at each other as he slowly eased her amongst the pillows, her cheeks flushing shamelessly as she tried to look away. At this point Donnie was nearly looming over her, captivated by her wide eyes and timid expression. Suddenly he was much closer to her than he realized, snapping out of his trance in order to allow his eyes to dart about anxiously, swiftly removing his hands as the air between them thickened.

“Are you okay?” he asked softly, hit heart hammering in his ears as he fought to keep his breathing even.

Katrin blinked and finally looked away, her cheeks burning with an unfamiliar relentlessness. She nodded with a faint smile and pulled the blankets over her as he moved to perch on the other end of the couch. Eventually she was able to fall back asleep, but Donnie sat and waited for the nerves to die down, knowing he wouldn’t be able to sleep otherwise.

_What am I getting myself into._


	10. 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is this cliche, I know it's been done before. I'm just trying to validate it because I love Halloween and I want to make as many puns as I can. Especially at Donnie's expense.

April came to check on Katrin after she got off work, showing up only a few minutes after Mikey had started breakfast. She discussed with Donnie her pupil’s condition, happy to know that she should be able to walk on her own, though not totally without discomfort. She joined them for breakfast and let them all know that the first column editorial had done well, which pleased Katrin immensely.

“Yep, and when we get home you get to lay around some more while we work on the one due this Saturday~” she chimed, a triumphant smirk tugging at her mouth as Katrin fell defeatedly against the pillows.

Once breakfast was over Donnie helped Katrin hobble out of the lair after giving her goodbyes, grinning snarkily as she saw April steal a kiss from Raph while the others had looked away. It took them nearly ten minutes to get out to the car, especially since Katrin had insisted that she walk without assistance.

Donnie watched nervously as she slid into her seat, waiting for her to fall and actually break something. When she didn’t he sighed to himself and then looked at her the way a mother would when chastising her child. “What are you going to do when you get home?”

Katrin rolled her eyes with her head. “I’m going to sit down and ice it for exactly thirty-four minutes.”

“And?”

She sighed. “And I’m only allowed to take Tylenol one more time before bed.”

“And?”

“ _And_ I have to go back to sleep at least by 2am so that I can correct my sleeping schedule.” She replied tartly, batting her eyelashes.

“ _And?_ ”

Katrin slouched in her seat and growled. “ _And I’ll always make sure to take proper body conditioning measures before any physical activity of any kind to ensure that my statistical percentage of injury avoidance is_ at least _above 78.26%._ ” She finished with one finger pointed upwards and her other hand mimicking Donnie’s act of adjusting his glasses.

He narrowed his eyes as April snickered and frowned. “If I hadn’t been as attentive to you as I was, you’d still be laying on the couch while Mikey took liberty to entertain you,” he reminded, folding his arms pointedly over his chest.

She breathed deeply and hung her head. “You’re right, thank you for taking care of me.”

Donnie nodded with a smile before remembering, “Oh, I almost forgot. _Aaaand?_ ”

“Oh for fucks sake, I’m not allowed to dance for at least another two weeks, can we _go_ now?”

They drove through the gate, the two watching as he stood and waved them off before disappearing back underground. April demanded details of the girl’s stay on the drive back to the apartment, which Katrin didn’t mind giving, until April saw fit to tease.

“So, what about you and Don-?”

“ _April._ ”

The reporter laughed and went on, “Oh come on, you guys are cute,” she said, still smiling as the other glared harder.

Katrin groaned and leaned her head against the window. “Maybe to you, but I had _zero_ intention of reevaluating my sexuality, thank you. High School was weird enough, I dunno about turtles.”

At this April raised her eyebrows, always excited to hear about old adventures. “What happened in High School?”

“Let’s just say I swear to God I thought she was a dude.”

Soon they pulled into the familiar driveway and April demanded that she help Katrin up the stairs. The apartment smelled a little different than usual, and Katrin spotted the apple pumpkin votives sitting around the house, instantly knowing that it was to cover up something else. She slid onto the floor as April brought her a few bags of ice, waiting until they began to sift through their column notes to say anything. “So what happened while I was gone?”

April looked up briefly. “What do you mean? It was just, same old same old.”

“I can count five candles from where I’m sitting, and they’re all either in the kitchen or around the couch,” she stated evenly, watching April’s reaction closely.

The other shook her head, “Tis the season, plus they make the place smell like autumn.”

“Yeah, but you _hate_ the smell of pumpkin on candles. You’re hiding something.”

“I am not.”

“You’re a shitty liar, what happened.”

“Nothing.”

Katrin stared at the other blankly with an air of near disbelief. And she continued to stare until April returned the gesture, though with less force. “If you don’t tell me I’m just gonna say it, because I’m pretty sure I figured it out.”

April scoffed and flipped through a handful of papers, making sure they were in numbered order before she spoke. “Oh really? And what exactly do you _think_ you know?”

For a moment Katrin just let the sly smirk play on her lips, ruffling through her own pile of documents and infographics. “You guys fucked all over the house, didn’t you?”

“ _Katrin_!”

“Ha! I _was_ right! April… dude that’s weird,” Katrin cringed through her smile at the other’s obvious discomfort. “He’s a _turtle_.”

She fisted the papers in her hand and pounded the floor as her head turned away. “I know he’s a turtle, and yeah okay, maybe it is a little weird. But if you knew him like I did you wouldn’t be making faces.” April glowered playfully, receiving a dramatic eye roll in response.

“Whatever you say, O’Neil.” Katrin shook her head a moment before continuing to muse. “God, you know, I read an article about turtles once, and it opened with the phrase ‘most people don’t know that turtles are horrifically well endowed’. _Horrifically_. I’m almost tempted to ask.”

April heaved a sigh and rubbed her fingers to her temples before an evil little thought crossed her mind. “Yeah well, I’m sure pretty soon you won’t have to ask.”

Katrin narrowed her eyes and leaned her head back. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Now the reporter grinned, looking up at the other from under her thick lashes. “Well it’s just that, since you and Donnie are getting so close, I figured-“

“April I swear to God if I wasn’t injured I would walk my ass all the way to the airport and get on the next plane to Morocco.” Her tone was flat and unyielding, her eyes boring holes into April’s puerile little farce.

However, she wasn’t fazed enough by the harsh look to cease her torment. “Hey, at least you wouldn’t ever have to worry about pregna-“

“ _Shut up shut up shut up_! God you’re such a shit sometimes!” Katrin hung her head and pressed her palms to her eyes, trying and just about failing to subdue the lewd images that appeared vividly in her mind. “Oh my God this is wrong…”

With a sigh April let off her teasing and went back to shuffling through the thick folder. “Look, I know it’s a hard concept to grasp at first, but really, they’re still people. You get over the whole turtle thing eventually.”

Katrin peered at the other through the strands of hair that cascaded around her face, her hands only moving enough to uncover her eyes. “Why are you making it sound like something is going to happen?”

“Because,” she answered a knowing glint in her eye. “I’ve been there done that, and by the looks of things, it’s got a high statistical probability.”

The other groaned again and shook her head defiantly as she tried to focus on their task at hand, her mind now throwing itself in little frenzies. “I don’t know, I mean… he’s sweet and all, but… doesn’t it get hard?”

April laughed a little and nodded. “Well yeah, of course it gets hard. But what relationship doesn’t? Sure, the reasons are a little different – not being able to go above ground is a biggie – but otherwise it’s the same as all the other ones I’ve been in.”

She nodded once and continued to sort through her pile, a begging question nagging at her relentlessly. “What do I do, then? I mean until I figure out… you know…”

For this April had to mull over her answer, contemplating on how to word it so that her pupil would understand. “I would suggest acting as naturally as possible, if you start getting nervous around him and he notices, he’ll feel guilty. But otherwise I guess just sort of pay attention to him. Listen to the way he says things, watch how attentively he works, sit in on training sometimes. And especially pay attention to how he treats you and acts when he’s around you.”

Sometimes April was a pain in the ass, but sometimes she knew exactly what to say and how to say it. Katrin always had the personality of a journalist, she wanted to pick everything apart, learn and how and why things happened, what made people do the things they do. And April was right, if she ever wanted to determine how she felt about Donnie she’d have to treat him like a story, pick apart his fine details to see what made him tick.

The week passed quickly with their approaching deadline, Donnie calling at least once a day to make sure April was enforcing his strict rules and rewarding him with progress of her recovery. Soon New York City was bathed in orange and purple string lights, jack-o-lanterns sitting on everyone’s front steps, fake webbing pulled over bushes, plastic poseable skeletons hanging from trees, and the wooden ghost hanging on every other door.

It was Friday afternoon when the two girls arrived home, eager to shed their work clothes for Halloween garb. They bustled around the house, April pulling her storage tub of costume pieces out of her closet while Katrin fished out the outfit she’d been preserving all year long. April called the other out of her room as she sat in a mound of fabric and props, smiling giddily at her collection.

“Okay, so I finally got all of my pieces together, but I need your opinion on-“

“Wait.” Katrin eyed her as she sat on the floor, tugging her rainbow armnets into a comfortable position. “Is all that… pirate garb? _Are you seriously doing that stupid Ninjas versus Pirates gimmick._ ”

April’s smile did not falter as she nodded enthusiastically. “Yes! And I just wanted to know which corset you thought looked best with this hat,” she said, holding up a lavishly decorated tricorne with white and brown plumage and motioning to the two openly displayed corsets laying across the edge of the tub.

Katrin looked quite silly compared to April’s impressive seafaring outfit, considering she was wearing grey jeans tucked into her rainbow fluffies and rainbow blacklight body paint covering her exposed skin in intricate little patterns around the matching grey tube top. The cat ears fashioned on her old school style LED headphones bounced as she tilted her head in thought, pointing to the scarlet and chocolate colored corset.

With a nod of approval April tossed in into a smaller pile and began shoveling the rest back into the bin, curiously stealing glances up at the other. “So, what are you again?”

The girl sighed and drooped her shoulders. “You remember that dumb fad going around a few years ago with the grey cat that had a pop-tart body? The one that shat rainbows while it flew through space?”

The other stifled a laugh and nodded vaguely, motioning for her to continue. “Well, I really wanted to do something unconventional and I saw an article online last year called ‘Memes: back from the dead’ and Nyan Cat was one of them. I dunno, I really like the aesthetic.”

Again April nodded, holding a hand in the general vicinity of her mouth. “You look like you’re…” she trailed off, her hand turning in circles.

“Going to a rave?”

“Yeah.”

Katrin laughed and smiled brightly, pleased by the conclusion. “Well where do you think me and that other dance teacher go to on the rare occasions we hang out?”

After April dressed they set about tidying the place up and turning off the lights, locking down the apartment for the night as they headed out into the evening. The drive through the city was slow due to the festivities and the downtown concert, but they got ample time to point out costumes and drunk adults making fools of themselves. The sun hung lazily above the horizon as they pulled through the chain link gate and parked, and April was sure that everyone was either almost or done with evening training.

As they headed into the tunnels Katrin turned up her headphones and threw out her skateboard, rolling along the concrete and dancing in her head. The multicolored LED lights reflected against the water and damp walls as April jogged to keep up, her heels clacking as she went.

The lair door was swung wide open and Katrin kick-flipped into the den, stepping off to lean the board by the door as she smiled at Mikey. He grinned back just as happily and stopped short of a hug, surveying her brightly colored costume and the array of buttons pinned to her equally colorful belt.

Within a few seconds realization dawned on him and he exclaimed, “Hey! You’re that pop-tart cat!”

She beamed at him and nodded, the fuzzy ears jiggling against the band of her headphones. April dismissed herself to find Splinter, knocking on the lab door on her way to the back as a ‘hello I’m here come out of your cave please’.

“So,” Mikey said, leaning against the back of the couch. “I been thinkin’, since you come around so often and April is already angelcakes, you should get your very own nickname~”

Katrin ‘ooh’ed at him with intrigue, her eyes darting to the lab where Donnie strode out, watching him saunter into the kitchen. “What did you have in mind?”

“Well,” Mikey said, rather loudly for just the two of them to hear. “I kinda like the nickname ‘ _pop-tart_ ’!”

Donnie spit his drink and choked, bending over and pounding against his plastron, a hoarsely wheezed out ‘ _Mikey!_ ’ the only other discernible sound within the coughs. His head whipped around to glare furiously at his younger brother, his hand nearly crushing the can in its grasp.

Michelangelo shot back with his own glower and snapped, “I’m still not over that, brah! I freakin’ _ate_ those!”

The girl looked between the two of them, venturing to ask, “What’s wrong with pop-tarts?”

As Mikey turned to indulge her with the story, Donatello threw himself over the counter and lunged, taking the other to the ground. “ _Don’t you say it!_ ’ He slapped a hand over Mikey’s mouth as he tried to blurt it out, then leaned in real close and whispered something Katrin couldn’t hear.

“Jesus, Don, what’s the big deal?” she pried, watching him remove himself from his brother, continually glaring as the other pushed himself to his feet.

“Nothing, how are you?” he asked casually, elbowing Mikey as he stood up.

She looked him over and narrowed her eyes, silently relaying that she _would_ get someone to tell her. “I’m fine, leg’s okay, ready to put myself into an artificially processed peanut butter candy induced coma. How are you?”

He shoved his brother as he walked off, smiling politely. “Oh you know, just playing around with explosives like usual.” His stomach churned as she smiled back him, and he was suddenly very thankful that his blushes weren’t noticeable to her. Then he took a quick second to assess her outfit, tilting his head thoughtfully. “Did you put cat ears on a pair of headphones?”

Katrin lit up and pulled them off her head, gazing at them with pride. “Hell yeah I did! I think cat ear headphones would be awesome, I’m just waiting for Japan to invent them so I can have an _actual_ pair.”

Donnie nodded, his head turning as he heard everyone else bustle into the kitchen at the orders of their Master. He followed suit and joined his brothers, lightly returning Mikey’s shove as he approached.

“My sons,” the rat began, glancing at April’s smiling face. “Rarely do I ever permit you to above ground when it does not involve the Foot Clan, as you all know how dangerous it can be. People would not accept you as you are, you would not wholly fit in, and therefore you very likely would get hurt. _However_ , I also believe that human interaction is becoming more necessary the longer you stay within the sewers. So for tonight _only_ , I am allowing you to go to the surface.”

The four turtles looked at him in varying degrees of shock and bewilderment, though Leo voiced their probable train of thought. “Sensei, why would we go to the surface? What’s so special about tonight?”

Katrin gasped audibly as realization smacked her square in the face. She watched and listened as April gave everyone an explanation.

“Tonight is Halloween, which means just about everyone on the street is going to be dressed up, especially where we’ll be going. You’ll fit right in,” she reassured, patting Raph on his arm with a smile.

Donnie hummed, not quite buying that it’d be that easy. “Won’t we look a little too real to just be wearing costumes?”

Here Katrin pitched in, “Not to the drunks. Plus, you’d be surprised at the things people make to wear to comic and anime conventions. I went with a friend once and we saw a guy that was dressed like a Wookie. I swear I couldn’t tell the difference.”

Leo rubbed the back of his head and looked around at his brothers, silently inquiring on their comfort level with the idea. He knew Sensei was right, they’d have to learn how to interact with people if they ever had any hope of convincing anyone that they were the good guys. Going out on Halloween was probably the only chance they’d get at figuring out how to talk to people on any sort of a normal basis.

When the other three were silent and offered no objections, Leo looked back down at Splinter. “I suppose we won’t get any other opportunities, so we might as well try.”


	11. 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I dunno, I just really love the idea of the boys saving a little old lady from the Foot and then her not caring that they're giant mutated turtles because Mikey freaked out about her being okay and it's just really cute to me okay.

They took the Shell Raiser, as walking everywhere was not an option and the company car would only fit maybe one turtle period. Leo drove around through downtown while April sat in the front with him, encouragingly guiding him through the streets.

Katrin sat in the back with the other three, offering her iPod for some party tunes, her and Mikey dancing with their upper bodies in the confined space. Donnie nodded to the beat as he looked out the window, intrigued by the variety of outfits and the sheer amount of children tottering along with pumpkin buckets.

April had them pull into one of the many open lots that had been converted to public parking for the downtown festival, feeding the meter enough for quite a few hours. Katrin slid out of the van with excitement, her multicolor chains jingling around her hips and against one leg. The boys – except for Mikey – cautiously exited and closed up the Shell Raiser, nervously glancing between each other.

“Are you sure about this, April?” Leo swallowed and peered around the other cars, nearly hitting the deck on reflex at the sight of a few people passing through the rows of cars.

She smiled, almost sadly, and gripped his wrist tightly. “Relax, the only thing that’s going to give you away is your anxiety.”

“ _Oh great_ ,” Donnie chimed, less than enthused at the notion of one of his common states of being doing him in. Though an eager tug of his arm to move along was enough to allow the butterflies to again distract him from much else.

Michelangelo moved about freely and with enthusiasm, impatient to get acquainted with the surface dwellers in their natural habitat. He passed the first test with ease, graciously accepting and returning a compliment on his ‘costume’ by a group of college girls.

He inhaled as they walked past, holding his breath until they were gone. “Guys,” he said, turning to his brothers. “I just talked to a bunch of _hot college chicks_! And they didn’t freak out!”

Needless to say, Mikey’s relief and renewed energy fed into the other timid brothers, allowing them to walk with a little more confidence. They headed for the road which had been closed off that lead to the park square where the stage was set up, having to stop a handful of times so various groups of people could compliment – and on occasion feel up on – the boys.

Raph remained at the back of the group, Leo attempted to be as cautious as possible, and Donnie stayed practically glued to Katrin, feeling slightly naked without his set of gear. She had insisted that it would only bring more attention to himself, but he did insist on a little device he’d made a few months back, allowing him to track the signature of every picture taken of them on every phone to be promptly deleted upon departure. It was one of the few measures of protection that kept Leo’s head from popping off.

When they entered into the main street where children ran rampant, bar doors were propped open, and the ever growing crowd shifted and mingled, Katrin held her arms out proudly. “Behold! Halloween spooktacular central!”

They huddled closely together as their eyes shifted across and down the street with hesitation, wondering silently, again, if it had been a good idea, or even a marginally _okay_ idea. Leo leaned down to April, his eyes still trained on the masses. “Are you absolutely positive about this?”

She looked slightly up at him and rested her hands on her hips. “Has anyone that’s talked to any of you so far said anything other than ‘hey nice costume can I touch your muscles’?”

He winced with a little groan, shaking his head stiffly. “No, but-“

“Then if anybody does, _they’re_ the weird ones. In order to sell the idea that you’re all just dressed up, you have to act like it. Think of it as being an intensive hensojutsu training session, and what better way to hade than it plain sight?” She smiled at the look in his eyes, knowing that his fears had ebbed enough to allow him to continue on.

Katrin lead them down the street, posing a question to see if any of them were hungry – which of course was a resounding ‘are you kidding we’re boys, we’re always hungry’. She scanned the vendors meticulously, waiting for her eye to catch one in particular. April helped the boys keep up as Katrin took off, wanting to beat any sort of line there might be.

Behind a white cloth covered table, under a craftily decorated canopy, stood a elderly woman in a frilly little apron, the creases around her mouth deep when she smiled. “Hello Ms. Katrin, how are you, dear?”

The girl smiled warmly at the grey haired lady, “I am very well, thank you~ I was hoping to see you here again this year, Ms. Bauer” she said, her eyes flickering across the array of pies and tarts laid out on display.

“Oh you know me, I love having an excuse to be in the kitchen,” she replied, her smile widening as she spotted April with company. “And who are these lovely young men?”

Katrin turned to look at them, watching as they all seemed to shuffle uncomfortably at being mentioned as such. Mikey smiled back waved a little, not having as much experience with the older generation.

“These,” Katrin explained, gesturing behind her, “are April’s extended family, we decided to take them out tonight. Also, they’re hungry, so I was hoping they’d appreciate homemade pie.” She turned again to look at them asking, “You guys like pumpkin pie, right?”

The four sort of just shifted awkwardly, Raph and Donnie shaking their heads while Leo replied politely with a ‘no ma’am’. The old woman frowned with disappointment as her fists met her hips. “Oh that simply just won’t do,” she said, rounding a few fresh slices to top them with little dollops of fresh whipped cream. “Here you are dears,” she sang, smiling in particular to Mikey. “I do hope turtles aren’t allergic to cinnamon.”

They all froze and swallowed as they looked wildly at each other, Katrin daring a dismissive laugh. “Well, I dunno about _real_ turtles, but these guys should be alright!”

Ms. Bauer tisked at the girl and replied with a coy smile, “Dear, I do mean real turtles.”

Michelangelo squinted at her for a moment before a fleeting memory surfaced in his mind. “Hey wait a minute, you’re that sweet little old lady the Foot were pickin’ on a few months ago!” She continued to smile as the other brothers slowly began to recall the incident, all simultaneously asking how she’s been since.

She waved her hands and answered, “Not to worry, I’m just fine. But it is so good to see you again, and I’d like to know you all got in involved with this lovely young lady?”

April sighed with a grin and offered a short reply, “She’s my intern at Channel 6.”

The woman nodded and then motioned to the pie the boys still clutched onto. “Well go on now, try it,” she ushered, anxious to see their reactions.

Katrin pulled her phone from her pocket, feeling the need to document such an important milestone in life. “Alright, Leo, you go first.” She watched as he tentatively cut off the tip and put it in his mouth, happy to see his smile of content. Then she moved to Raphael, who gave an appreciative grunt of approval, but otherwise was silent. After that she turned to Donnie, “Well?”

He was silent for a short moment before looking around in slight disbelief. “I… I think it’s better than pizza.”

Mikey scoffed and shook his head in protest. “Psh, whatever brah, ain’t nothin’ beter than pizza,” he said dismissively, taking a bite to prove a point. His eyes instantly widened and he looked down at the delicately cut slice in his hand. “Oh my God this is the best thing I’ve ever put in my mouth.”

Ms. Bauer gave them two more pies to go as thanks, only after furiously insisting that it was no trouble. The four waved as they departed, gently fighting each other for bites, and in some cases entire slices. As they meandered around, getting their pictures taken (then deleted), having both guys and girls ask if their muscles were real, and a few marvel at their impressive ‘prop’ weapons, April scouted out a place to get beer, asking if anyone else wanted something.

When she disappeared inside Katrin rounded the boys up and sat them down, making it easier to keep track of them all while she answered a phone call. While she paced in front of them they pointed out and ogled at a few of the more impressive arrangements people had somehow figured out how to attach to their bodies. April emerged as Katrin slid her phone away, her cheeks red with strain.

“April! April April April April April! Guess what!” Her mentor passed a second beer to Raph as she looked back cautiously. “They’re gonna open the main stage at eleven with a DJ, and Mrs. Gudera is here and you have to let me go on stage _please_.”

April held her hands up and took a seat. “Alright alright, calm down. As long as you don’t drag me up there with you,” she said tersely, eyeing the other suspiciously.

“Aw come on, April,” Mikey argued, ignoring the hot glare from Raph. “I’d _totally_ love to watch you dance on stage!”

She took a swig of beer and glared at him while failing to hide the smile that tugged at the corners of her lips.

Once they’d digested the two large pies Katrin and Mikey picked out the distinct sound of the nearest DJ and begged to at least check it out. No objections were voiced, and the rest of the group followed along, the vague traces of anxiety long since dissipated. Again they got flagged down for pictures, and it seemed that with every other photo taken, the amount of women dangling from Mikey’s arms at least doubled.

But with every four girls to Mikey there was at least one guy per Katrin and April, either because the latter’s pirate garb was both stunning and a bad play on the popular meme, or because the former was simply covered in rainbows and showing a lot of skin. Either way it had Raph and Don gritting their teeth and silently pouting, one expressing each a little more than the other.

By the time they reached the crowd that encircled the one of many DJs that were stationed on Central Ave, the MC was calling for a dance off, encouraging mostly drunk people to step into the opening to entertain those sober enough to video tape.

“Kat! We could totally get in on that!” Mikey bounced eagerly on his toes, smiling at her hopefully.

As she opened her mouth for a ‘hell yeah!’, Donnie put a hand on her shoulder and squinted, silently reminder her of the ordeal two weeks prior.

She whined at his antics and shuffled around. “I stretched yesterday, for like an hour! I’ll be fine,” she insisted, attempting to make a run for it without realizing how strong his grip was.

“At least let me help you stretch out your femoris, that way I’m sure it’s done right,” he demanded gently, holding out a hand expectantly.

She would’ve asked what he was talking about, but figured there wasn’t much of a point, so she flexed and dropped her heel in his hand, scowling at him as he cautiously extended her leg upwards. When her full stretch was reached she righteously ignored the tingling sensation along the back of her leg, her silent staring continuing until he had finished with the other. “Happy?”

Donnie fixed his glasses and returned her scowl. “If you hurt yourself again I’ll have every right to rub in your face as much as I want.” After she had spent so much time at lair he quickly figured out that gentle and mildly affectionate bullying was the easiest way to get his point across to her, and he didn’t mind doing it knowing she could take what she dished out. And she dished out _hard_.

Katrin rolled her eyes and waved her hand at him, joining Mikey as he weaseled through the crowd and into the open circle, just in time to start round two. The DJ called for a boys versus girls, and at this point only about twenty total people continued to volunteer as a free show. Though, not many of them lasted too long, especially since it was either middle-aged women trying to find excuses to get drunk or teenage boys thinking that they could win the attention of some girl – or boy, depending on preference.

Arguably there were a few talented freestylists, mostly on the boys side, but their furious passion for dance had Katrin and Mikey sticking out like sore thumbs, especially when the turtle opted to show off his nunchucks just for some added personal flare. By then everybody else had opted out and the DJ was praising the two for their shared talent, commenting with ‘looks like hipster glasses wants in on this action!’ as Donnie sauntered over to join his brother, bo staff twirling effortlessly in around one hand.

At this point Katrin had stopped altogether, staring in bewilderment as the two boys fell in step with a little pre choreographed routine, something generic that could be used with the majority of popular music. It was a lot of footwork and weapon flourishes, but internally Katrin admitted that it was a good show and allowed only one lewd thought of _hot damn those abs though_.

The mass of people cheered and whooped as the boys finished with a bow, hurriedly rejoining the rest of the group, attempting to avoid too many pictures. April put her hands on her hips and smirked at the tallest brother as he approached.

“Wow, Donnie, I didn’t know you could dance,” she commented, noting the ever so faint coloration on his cheeks.

He shrugged and sheathed his bo. “I try not to fully indulge the nerd stereotype, plus it’s more fun than beating Mikey senseless during training.” He and Mikey then squabbled over the ‘betterness’ of the two, their petty argument only in brotherly love.

Katrin adjusted her fluffies and headphones, smirking to herself as Leo complained about the two potentially blowing their cover, and Raph complaining that Leo complained too much. “Hey April,” she called, righting herself as the other gave her attention. “You think you can sneak me a shot or two before they open the big stage? I do _not_ want to be fully sober for that.”

While Katrin was underage by a year, April had never had a problem with the two of them drinking together, especially over particularly tedious stories. Sometimes it was cheap wine, sometimes it was a mix with heavy rum, and some nights just required a few shots of whipped cream vodka. So April didn’t see much of an issue, as long as one condition was met.

“I’m not going to be responsible for _anything_ you say or do. And don’t make me have to have one of the boys hold your hand to keep you out of trouble,” she said sternly, staring her down to get her point across.

The next time April brought out a round of beers she slipped her roommate a little paper cup of vodka, and it only took about three before the girl could feel the tingling sensation in her brain, at which point she told April to cut her off.

Sure, any socially morale parent would call her behavior irresponsible, but April was not her mother and did not feel the need to treat her like one. And she trusted that Katrin knew where her boundaries were and how to handle herself appropriately. At least when they were home alone in the safety of their living room with a considerable distance between themselves and any amount of testosterone that vaguely may or may not have wanted to do very adult-like things with them.

So when Katrin began to stand a little closer to Donnie than she normally would have, sometimes leaning against him when they stood around, April instantly was both happy that maybe she’d finally start to figure out her feelings, and very worried that her trust had been stretched too far. Of course Donnie noticed, but he certainly didn’t mind the constant average proximity of a few inches, shy as he was.

Raphael only sniggered to himself as he watched his pathetic lanky brother desperately hide the burning in his cheeks and the way his hands twitched to hold hers. The soft squishy part of Raph thought it was almost sweet how innocent he was, while the rest of him was already tired of them both beating around the metaphorical bush. Though, he knew it was Donnie’s place to open up and not his own to do on behalf of him, even though sometimes he really wanted to yell ‘shut up and kiss her you idiot’.

As the night wore on they inched farther down the street and closer to the park square, Katrin’s eyes darting around for the other studio instructor. She would’ve broken off to quicken her search if the boys hadn’t all seen it coming by the tell tale signs of her restless behavior.

“Chill out, brah,” Mikey cooed, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, “You got plenty of time~ Besides, you should help us find a spot to sit and watch the show.”

Katrin fidgeted but nodded nonetheless, instantly picking out a shaded patch of ground that was slightly elevated and somehow still unclaimed. April lead on while Raph brought up the rear, weaving through the growing crowd in a line of muscle and determination, Katrin practically diving for the spot before anyone else could so much as look at it.

They made it with a few minutes to spare as the little preshow of another local studio performed a modified version of ‘Thriller’ and ‘Time Warp’, Mikey suggesting a short ‘historical figures’ themed game of charades to pass the time. He started off with letting April giving him something to act out, Raph immediately calling Abraham Lincoln as Mikey gestured a large top hat.

“Aw, how’d you know?” the younger whined, “I didn’t even get to the beard part.” He flopped back down on the ground and let Raph pick who went next.

The turtle grinned and leaned over to Katrin, who sighed with a grin and stood up, already knowing who’d win. She went through the motions of putting on boots and a coat, then snapping goggles over her eyes as she mimed stepping into a plane, using her arms to mimic a flying motion. After she received puzzling looks she made an ‘L’ with her right hand and rested it against her chin.

“Amelia Earheart!” April called triumphantly, laughing as Katrin snerked knowingly.

“What was that thing you did at the end? How did April know?” Leo furrowed his brow and leaned forward, feeling that were was some sort of advantage April might have had.

Katrin grinned and replied, “I signed lesbian.”

Donnie looked up and frowned. “Amelia Earhart was _not_ a lesbian.”

The girl shrugged her shoulders with a smirk. “I dunno brah, I read somewhere that she might have been in lesbians with Eleanor Roosevelt.”

April then passed over the turn to Donnie and they continued in a roundabout way until Katrin’s phone chimed, just as the MC was addressing the crowd. She smiled and took off, April sending Donnie and Mikey to keep after her so she wouldn’t get separated.

They followed Katrin to the side of the stage, stopping short of the stairs where she greeted the supposed Mrs. Gudera. They hugged briefly and asked the basic ‘how are you’ questions, the young Spanish women soon noticing the two hulking boys standing around next to them.

“I don’t suppose those two varones jóvenes are _your_ friends?” the woman asked in a thick accent, smirking as she ran her eyes slowly over the two, absently licking her lips.

Katrin turned around and smiled. “Oh yeah, these are my coworker’s extended family, Mikey and Donnie,” she gestured appropriately between the two, watching slyly as the younger brother enthusiastically introduced himself.

The woman laughed and turned to ask Katrin, “I like your friend, Gato! You think I could take him out on a date~?”

The other laughed as Mikey grinned bashfully, “You are _so_ drunk!”

At this Donnie scowled and waited for Katrin’s attention. “Like you aren’t? You’ve smelled like vodka almost all night. You’re lucky you didn’t get caught.”

She rolled her eyes, “I am _not_ drunk.”

“Will you remember anything tomorrow?”

For a moment she was silent, her eyes focused elsewhere. “Probably not, come on Mrs. G! Let’s go give these people a show!”

Mikey and Donnie watched helplessly as the two girls joined the surprisingly large group of people on stage, deciding to move to the front in order to see, also thinking they may need to catch a stray body if anyone slipped off the edge. Katrin took a spot up front while the other stole a quick second to speak with the DJ before joining her, forming a quick game plan before the music roared loud over the park.

Admittedly there were more than a few actually good dancers this time around, and the two ladies weren’t the only obviously trained people on stage. The first song was the ever popular ‘Cha Cha Slide’, which every DJ was obligated to play so that everyone had the opportunity to not look like a complete fool. But of course the trained choreographers stepped it up a little, all the ladies having some extra fun with the cha cha bits.

The second song was a slightly sexy Spanish pop song, undoubtedly requested by Mrs. Gudera as her and Katrin had fully developed choreography for the whole thing. They each kept flawlessly in time with the other, but were also just as unique in their style, Mrs. Gudera having a more traditional flare to the rumba steps and Katrin accentuating her feline costume a little with the lyrics ‘here kitty kitty’.

The two boys stood with their jaws hanging half open at the display, stealing glances at each other as if to question if what they were seeing was real. Every so often their gazes would get drawn in by the girls as they got stared down, especially during particularly lavish hip isolations and the roaming of hands. Their mouths went dry fairly early on, and as hard as they swallowed the blood roaring in their ears never seemed to lessen. It was a rough three and half minutes, especially for Donnie, since he otherwise had a fairly clean and logically organized state of mind.

Once the song ended and the participants were kindly asked to clear the stage, Katrin appeared before them without having given them enough time to recompose themselves. She smiled and adjusted pieces of her costume that had been jostled during the routine, not much noticing the way they ogled her before trying to hide it with simple compliments.

“Wow! You were holding out of me the last time, that was amazing!” Mikey lead her back to the group and babbled the whole way, Donnie keeping behind her as to hide his nervous appearance.

After meandering around for another few minutes April insisted they head back to the lair, wanting to make themselves scarce while they were still in the clear. The trip back to the Shell Raiser seemed shorter than the initial trip out, but nobody complained about being able to sit down and relax. Again, Leo and April took the two front seats while the other four piled in the back, wedging themselves inside quickly and expertly.

Somehow, as Donnie stretched long-ways against the door while the other two brothers curled up within whatever space was left, Katrin had managed to find herself half draped over Don’s stomach, though not being coherent enough to realize and be alarmed by it. In fact, a few uncomfortable bumps to the head was enough to have her crawling on top of him, settling herself safely out of harms way with her cheek pressed warmly against his shoulder.

Raph sighed and buried his face in his hands as Mikey quietly laughed at Donnie’s very obvious discomfort. April turned around to see what had the youngest in such a fit, and soon was also cracking a smile and pulling out her phone to capture the moment.

“Oh no no, April please don’t,” Donnie begged, his hands raised in surrender to keep from being awkwardly placed anywhere near the girl peacefully napping on top of him.

“Why not? Now you guys will be even,” she suggested, double checking to make sure her flash was on. One flash made her victorious, and the others cringed away from the briefly blinding glare.

Donnie whined and tried to guilt her into deleting it with his best kicked turtle expression, glaring when that obviously failed to achieve anything. The two of them had finally seemed to move past the awkward ‘sorry for you cuddling with you’ issue, and now here it was again. Frankly, he didn’t care about getting even, he just wanted everyone else to leave him to his feelings and quit trying to simultaneously try _all of his nerves_.

Mikey was the first to notice the other’s put off expression and made an effort to ease his nerves. “Aw, don’t be like that, Don, at least she’s not doing it by accident.”

Here Donnie seemed to begin to come unraveled. “ _Yes she is_! Because _someone_ saw fit to sneak her _vodka_!” he hissed, keeping his voice considerately low but also getting across that he was in fact very upset.

“What?” Mikey looked around as Raph shook his head at his brother’s naivety, having been completely unaware of her smuggling shots behind their backs. Apparently he was the only one who hadn’t noticed.

The rest of the ride home was distressingly silent, Mikey trying to make sense of how he hadn’t figured it out and Donnie fuming silently with embarrassment as Katrin continued to sleep soundly on top of him. Leo parked in the utility bunker and everyone filed out of the Shell Raiser, April having to pull Katrin awake and to her feet.

As Katrin slowly began to come to, April turned to the brothers and smiled. “I’m gonna take this one home, I’ll call you in-“

“Oh no you’re not,” Donnie cute her off sternly. “You are not driving this late at night after having had that much to drink.”

She sighed and looked back tiredly. “Donnie, I’m fine, nothing is-“

“April, humor me please? My thyroxine levels are dangerously low and I might be on the verge of a panic attack so _please_ just stay here for the night, okay?” He shifted his eyes between the girls, then promptly marched into the tunnel system and was gone before anyone said another word.

* * *

Michelangelo found his brother basking under the UV lamp in the washroom, his face buried in his arms. He knew his presence wasn’t unknown, but still quietly removed the scarce amount of clothing he had on and slipped gingerly in the water. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Mikey made the point of his visit known, “What’s got you all freaked out, Don? You haven’t had a panic attack in months…”

It wasn’t a huge health concern and didn’t really act up all that often, but when it did it could hit pretty hard if he wasn’t careful. Donatello had suffered from hyperthyroidism from an early age, and he always had assumed it was because of some biological effect of the mutagen. When he was younger, especially before they had begun to train, it was a common enough occurrence for Master Splinter to be more than a little worried. However, they couldn’t exactly get any sort of medication, so Donnie was taught a few different methods of meditation, hoping to find one that could keep his anxiety under control. Either he grew out of it or his regulated meditation schedule had done more wonders than he originally thought. But even so, if things happened in just the right way, at the just right time, it could inevitably throw him into a state of panic.

Currently he was trying to get himself under control, and had found that basking was a pretty easy fix if he was beyond the point of concentrating enough to meditate. “I don’t know, I just… There’s so much happening all at once and I’m not… I don’t know what to do with it all.”

Mikey nodded slightly to himself, deciding that asking then was just as good as later. “It’s about Kat, isn’t it?”

Donnie sighed and hauled himself to his elbows, the tails of his mask nearly brushing the tile beneath his arms. He knew the answer without having to question, but couldn’t bring himself to say it. “How do you do it, Mikey? How are you always so optimistic?”

The other thought quietly for a moment, picking his words and organizing them in such a way that his logistically inclined brother would understand. “If we expect to be disappointed, does that decrease our chances of happiness? Technically, I dunno, but probably not. But I do know that when I focus on what I think won’t happen, I can’t see all the things that do happen as well anymore. You’re so caught up in thinking that there’s no way she’d ever be into you that you’re missing all the signs that she _is_.”

“What signs?” Don asked, turning to look fully at the other.

The younger sighed, “You see?”

And then, it slowly started making sense. There wasn’t much that Mikey was ever right about, but when he was, it was usually a little more profound than the others would care to have believed. Donnie wasn’t really a pessimist, and if he could find any sort of believable margin of something happening, he was pretty open about it. But for whatever reason, the idea of having anything like what Raphael and April had was too farfetched for him to even consider, and it instantly got cast aside.

“But what if I get my hopes up for nothing? What if-“

“Oh what if my tail. You’re starting to sound like Raph, you seriously just need to take a chill pill, brah,” Mikey interjected, looking a little disheartened. “She’s probably goin’ through the same thing you are.”

As statistically impossible as Donnie wanted it to sound, it was a little comforting. “So then what should I do?” It came off sounding like more of a standoffish comment than anything, but he held his gaze.

“Just act like you always do. Don’t try to be someone you’re not just to impress her, that never works out. Being honest can be hard sometimes, but saves you from a lot of trouble.” He smiled and suggested they get out, both appealed by the sound of a midmorning nap.

As they shuffled into the bedroom Donnie stopped short, immediately noticing an extra little bundle curled up in his nest. He looked at Mikey pleadingly, unsure of what to do.

“First of all, that is _definitely_ a sign. Second of all, now that she knows, it’s like an open invitation.”

Donnie bit his lip and fidgeted. “Are you sure? Maybe I should just sleep on the couch.”

“Nah, don’t do that, it might hurt her feelings.”

“What? How does that-“

“Don’t even question it, life will be so much easier if you just accept it.” With that Mikey left Don’s side to make himself comfortable, rolling about to settle in.

He hesitated, but eventually decided that the sheer amount of women that he had attracted all day long was enough evidence that maybe when it came to women, Mikey knew what he was doing. Carefully and with a little extra dexterity he was able to curl himself around the girl without stirring her awake, allowing his mind to dwell on the softness of her skin and her soothing whisper-like breathing before succumbing to depths of his subconscious.


	12. 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The ending is so good I'm almost proud of myself. It makes up for the gross middle part.

There was literally no way to tell if the clock on the wall was referring to eight in the morning or eight in the evening, but Katrin bet the former. Her eyes squinted at the little analog clock perched on the far end of the dresser, her vision going in and out of focus as she blinked. Then the events of the night before came flooding in with the raging migraine, none of them clear or solid, just dancing colors and the faint lingering smell of something she couldn’t place. Or rather, it wasn’t so much as lingering as it was laying right next to her.

She wasn’t awake enough to jump in surprise, so instead she shifted her hips and stretched out her arms and legs, the unsettling quiet pop of her back making her wrinkle her nose. As she attempted to readjust herself she then realized why she’d been a little extra stiff. Donnie literally hadn’t allowed her to move all night, she had been curled in the same ball as when she first went to sleep and he just wrapped himself around her with no room for movement.

Her brain kicked itself into gear and she was able to make a little more sense of what had happened, at least after they’d gotten home. She remembered, waking up standing, one arm slung over April’s shoulder while the boys stood around them in the utility bunker. Then April mumbled something about going home and Donnie almost lost his shit. _That was a little terrifying…_ And then the next thing she knew her favorite purple fleece blanket was covering her shoulders and she was asleep.

If she were to be perfectly honest with herself, she would admit that this time she practically was asking to be cuddled with. And if she was truthful still, she’d admit that there really was no part of her that actually minded as much as she tried to act it. Sure, she still wasn’t so sure of where her feelings were going or where they would end up, but as long as she didn’t give him any reason to feel guilty it wasn’t so bad.

He was actually quite comfortable if she was still bothering to be honest.

So instead of trying to worm her way out from underneath him she decided that indulging in a little extra warmth and legitimate affection – subconscious or otherwise – would be a nice change. Though, it wasn’t long before she overheard Raph and April whispering next to them about leaving soon, and without really meaning to she leaned a little more into him.

When Donnie woke it was a slow, subtle process, letting his mind kick in before the rest of body even tried to move. And in this case, it saved him from nearly throwing the both of them onto the floor in shock. But he quickly remembered that she had already been there and asleep by the time he crawled in, so he shouldn’t have been too alarmed.

To keep from startling her, Don gently inhaled and tightened his shoulders, slowly removing his arm as she attempted to sit up. He didn’t open his eyes very far, just enough to make out her shape and see that she hadn’t changed before falling asleep. The way her hair tousled around her face and over her shoulders in disordered waves made him smile, but mostly on the inside.

“Hey…” she said softly, rubbing the sleep from her eyes with hand and nudging his shoulder with the other as she sat cross legged next to him.

He groaned sleepily and forced himself to sit up, pinching at the bridge of his nose. His vision wasn’t the greatest, but he could still make out her basic shape and colors with some fuzzy details. “Yeah?”

Katrin shifted a little on the pile of blankets, “You kinda freaked out a little bit last night, are you okay?”

Suddenly he was cold and the lump in his throat left a bad taste in his mouth when he swallowed. “Uh… y-yeah. I’m uh, I’m alright,” he replied flatly, shifting his gaze away from her and off to the side.

She scowled at the notion of him only telling her what he thought she wanted to hear, especially in the way of his mental condition. It surprised her that she’d feel the need, but didn’t fight the urge to scooch closer and wrap her arms under his, leaning against his chest. “Just be careful, okay? I got worried.”

Donnie stiffened as his cheeks slowly began to burst into flames, wanting so badly to both curl back up with her and still have the option to fully hide in his shell. But instead he shakily drew one arm from underneath the blankets and rested his hand on her back, forcing his breathing to slow.

It wasn’t much later that the girls were giving the drowsy boys their goodbyes each at a time. As Katrin moved to Mikey he smirked and ran a finger over one of the swirls that trailed over her shoulder, most of the paint having already rubbed off. “Hey Donnie, I think you missed a spot~” he sang.

The other growled and narrowed his eyes through the haze of his still listless mind. “After I’ve had a full day’s sleep, I’m gonna kick your ass for that.”

The girls waved them off back to bed and left the lair, Katrin begging for a few Tylenol to ease her pounding head on the way back to the apartment. They worked from home that day, making a little headway into the next scheduled biweekly, which would be the third one they’ve written so far.

Late in the evening Katrin had mentally worried herself to death over wanting to talk to Raph all day long. The only reason she hadn’t was because she was still getting over his silent and intimidating nature, but eventually decided that ultimately, he couldn’t get all _that_ annoyed with her.

She had long since been given everyone’s phone number, mostly because April was tired of Mikey texting her all the time to ask about Katrin, but also because in an emergency Donnie wanted to make sure she could reach everyone. It was a little after nine when she texted him, wanting to make sure they were done with training.

Kat: Hey, can I ask you something?

Raph: What’s up

Kat: I asked him about it earlier but I don’t think he was telling me the truth. Is Donnie okay?

It was a good thirty minutes before she received a reply, and part of her wondered if he had gone to confront Don about it, or if he was mulling over whether or not to be honest. Either way she was checking her phone every few minutes, to which she had to shoosh April every time she asked who she was talking to.

Raph: Yes and no

Kat: Why yes and why no?

Raph: Yes because he’s calmed down. No is complicated

Kat: … it’s me isn’t it?

Raph: Not really my place to tell you that, but we both know you’re smart to enough to know the answer

Kat: Is there anything I can do? I don’t like making him anxious.

Raph: Not really, he kinda just deals. And he wouldn’t want you sayin anything unless you meant it

Kat: Is this normal then??

Rpah: Had it since we were kids, doesn’t usually get that bad

Kat: Had what?

Raph: Think he calls it hyperthyroidism, just makes him antsy

Kat: … oh. Doesn’t that get serious?

Raph: Nah, we take good care of him

Kat: Okay, and thanks.

April finally dropped her fork at the last obnoxious text tone from Katrin’s phone. “Seriously, _who are you talking to_.”

She sighed as her response was sent through, keeping her eyes off the other. “I was talking to Raph.”

At this April grew slightly concerned. “Why, what’s wrong? Did something happen?”

“Nah, just…” Katrin couldn’t finish and slid off the couch. “I’m gonna go to bed, see you in the morning.”

* * *

November came and was nearly over by the time she had been unknowingly summoned for her rite of passage. It was a Thursday evening, she had just gotten home after her teaching lessons, and the apartment was void of any and all life, the only light coming from an old lamp by the couch.

She set down her things as her eyes instantly flew over to a small note on the bar counter, April’s boyish cursive leaving a short explanation.

_Katrin,_

_The boys called while you were at the studio and needed me to come over. I left a few bucks for bus fare, they’d really love to have you over for a while. Text me when you’re on your way._

_April_

“Oh boy, the _bus_ ,” she groaned, slinking into her room to change into something less sweaty. She pocketed the $2.25 and her phone, tucking her board under an arm as she left the apartment and headed into the city.

The nearest bus stop was three blocks from the complex, post rush hour traffic making her annoyed at the idea of having to be on an NYC bus for more than a few minutes. It ended up taking an astounding twenty-eight to get to the edge of the city, and she still had to skate about nine blocks to reach the sewage plant.

Normally flickering flood lights would make her uneasy, but she was familiar enough with the tunnel system to get her to the den quickly and efficiently. Plus if anything went wrong it’d trip the alarm and she had a phone otherwise.

Unless the whole charade was planned and everyone was crowded around Donnie to watch from the monitor system.

It started off with the sounds of rustling feet and movement in the shadows. Katrin tried to pass it off in her mind as rats or some small animal that had found itself lost. But it didn’t take very long before she figured out something was wrong, and when she pulled out her phone to call someone, hunkered down beneath a pipeline, her phone came up dead.

That’s when the first signs of panic began to set in, but she knew how to pull herself together. _You’re a fucking fighter, you didn’t spend seven years with boys for nothing._ She slipped along the wall to the corner, peering around both ends to watch for shadows, taking off when she deemed the coast clear. As she met up with an intersection she crouched and watched the darkness before racing to the other side.

After inching her way around for a good ten minutes the noises began to increase, she grew more cautious, and at the sound of gunfire she ducked her head and found a place to squeeze into. _Fuck what do I do what do I do._ Her body trembled as voices began shouting, incoherent through the echoes and the fact that it sounded as if they were talking over each other. _I have to move._

She darted out of her hiding place, putting distance between herself and the voices, taking unfamiliar side tunnels as the echoes became alerted and followed after her. _Shit!_ Her board clacked to the cement and she threw herself onto the deck, sending her speeding down the tunnel as the noises continued to chase her trail. _How the_ hell _did the Foot get down here without anyone knowing? Where are they?_

Her skin crawled at the thought that they’d been taken again, images of the den in ruins making her hands shake. The tunnel ended and she veered left, having to carry her board as the passage sloped upwards. There was a mounted ladder against the wall as it opened into a small room and she climbed one-handed, the voices quieter but still tracking her, she was sure.

The shadows had forced her back into the large cavern where she had accused Donnie of ‘throwing [her] down a hole!’. “Are you fucking _kidding_ me!” But she didn’t have enough time to stop and think about it, so she set her board on the edge and prepared to plunge, glancing back to see a black figure in the tunnel entrance where she’d emerged from, startling her enough to push off.

It was probably the most horrifying thing she’d ever made herself do, but she’d be damned if she got done in by a bunch of Foot thugs. She’d already told herself she would settle for nothing less than dying either while trying to set the world record for swimming with sharks or after she’d won first place in the World Hip Hop Dance Championship. _Not_ at the hands of the Foot.

Thankfully by the time she’d reached the bottom she had a few seconds to lose them, vaguely familiar with her surroundings. She continued her method of sneaking, watching, and darting to safety until she eventually reached the tunnel to the den, noticing that the door was both closed and guarded by a Foot. From where she knelt he was only a colorless figure, standing rigidly and swaying with an awkward motion.

Her eyes darted around for something to throw, landing on a chunk of cement twice the size of her fist. She moved slowly, just in case any swift movement might give away her position, picking it up without making a sound. He was a little too far to hit accurately enough for a headshot, so she flicked another pebble off in a direction behind and waited as the figured moved towards her.

Gunshots went off down the tunnel again, much closer to her than they had been earlier. _Don’t panic don’t panic don’t panic._ She weighed the rock in her hand and sent it flying through the air, pelting the solider square in the face hard enough to knock it flat on its back. She immediately took off for the door, finding the latch and heaving the metal portal open only enough to allow her to squeeze through, then locked it behind her.

Then she turned around as was suddenly very, excessively confused. The lair was just as it had been the last time she saw it, the lights were bright and constant, the TV was turned low as background noise, she could even smell cold pizza as it sat out on the kitchen counter. And before her stood four hulking turtles wearing various expressions.

Leo smirked faintly with his arms crossed with authority. “Congratulations, welcome to the Hamato Clan.”

Katrin blinked as she looked around with confusion, her eyes wild with anger and vulnerability, her body shaking with hurt as she realized she never had any reason to fear for her life, then with fury as she had been forced to do so. Her eyes welled as a tiny ‘ _hic_ ’ squeaked from her throat, her brain piecing together that the whole thing was an elaborate stunt coordinated as initiation into their family.

For a moment everyone, including April, stood still and waited for some sort of reaction. As the first tear fell and she looked up with confusion Donnie strode over and firmly pulled her against him, winding his fingers through her hair as she clutched at his shoulders.

“I told you it was too far,” he shot at Leo, his jaw setting as the other appeared in his line of sight.

The leader shook his head slowly. “No, it wasn’t. And she couldn’t have handled the situation any better. I needed to know that she could take care of herself,” he replied calmly, his gaze just as hard and stern as his brother’s.

Donnie glared furiously. “ _Why_.”

“Because we’re not exactly the safest family to be a part of. We can’t guarantee her safety forever, from _anyone_. To think otherwise is foolish and you know that. But now _I trust_ that she can keep herself safe if she ever needed to.” He knew it wasn’t what Donnie wanted to hear, but when he gave his trust to anything it was damn important and his brothers knew to take it seriously. He had welcomed her into their family, and they knew he wouldn’t have done so unless he felt she truly belonged with them in _all_ senses.

Katrin stilled and exhaled evenly, slowly yet gently removing herself from Donnie, her eyes turned upwards just enough to see Leo’s expression. “Thank you,” she whispered, hoping that he’d understand her gratitude even though she still didn’t have the wherewithal to smile, her heart hammering in her chest.

Raph lumbered over and reached out a hand to tousle her hair, even though it had already been disheveled. “You did good, pipsqueak. Leo’s right, you got street smarts, that holds a lot of weight around here,” he smiled ever so slightly before lightly shoving her in his way of being affectionate.

Mikey treated her some homemade pumpkin pie as per Ms. Bauer’s recipe that he’d been graced with, garnishing the hefty slice with extra whipped cream and shaved chocolate flakes. They opted for a comedy to help lift her spirits and ease any nerves that still might have been pulsing through her veins. She was sandwiched between Donnie and Mikey but not uncomfortably so, eventually becoming relaxed enough to return the lavish cuddles.

When the movie concluded Leonardo asked to speak with her privately before her and April left for the night, walking her into the back of the den and into the corner where his alter space was set up, snagging an extra pillow from his bed so they could sit comfortably on the floor. He motioned with his hand for her to join him and she mimicked his position as best she could.

“I hope you weren’t too frightened earlier, but I did need to see for myself if you were the fighter April had claimed you’d be,” he began, keeping his expression soft and as warm as he was capable.

She shook her head, “Not as much as I thought I should be now that I think about it. I mean, before you said anything I was really angry, but I understand, and… I’m honored that you’d accept me as part of your family.”

He allowed a faint smile but otherwise was even with his tone. “The more I talked to April the more I got the sense that you’d never had one, is that true?”

Katrin suddenly became a little overwhelmed, even though she’d known it all her life, having someone say it outright was a lot more heartbreaking than it’d ever sounded in her head. “Yes,” she uttered, her fists clenching as she forced the emotion out of her mind.

Leo was silent for a short while before he continued. “I don’t want you to think I made this decision based on pity, I know you wouldn’t appreciate that. But family is the most important thing to me and I can’t imagine how you’ve lived for so long without one,” he said softly, watching her as she searched around for something to say.

“When it’s something you’ve never had you can’t really know the difference. Sure, I was sad sometimes when I was little because I didn’t really understand, but things happen for a reason. If I hadn’t been sent here by my aunt and uncle I never would’ve met you,” she suggested, glancing at the other every now and again.

He nodded with understanding and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “I’m grateful that we know someone else who is willing to accept us.” With a nod he helped her to her feet and took up her pillow, turning to lead her back into the living room as she stopped him.

“Where are all these flowers from?” she asked, spying a basket full of pressed and frame ready fully bloomed flowers nestled underneath the little prayer table.

“Oh,” Leo paused and grinned at the little basket. “It’s… kind of a hobby. I like flowers that require a lot of work, and they help with meditation.”

They walked slowly back towards the living room, and as they stopped by the bedroom Katrin remembered some detail about what day it was. “Today’s Thanksgiving, isn’t it?”

At this Leo smiled, tossing the pillow onto his nest. “Well we couldn’t just initiate you on any old regular day,” he answered, seeing the comprehension in her eyes as she beamed hopelessly.

“Did Mikey cook?”

Leo scoffed, “Did Mikey cook. Why do you think there’s twelve other pies in the fridge?”

They laughed all the way back to the living room where she and April prolonged their inevitable departure with small talk and easy conversation. Eventually the hour persuaded them to move along, saying goodnight with genuine hugs all around, even from Raph. It was something of a milestone and Katrin was grateful that he’d come around just as everyone had promised.

For the next two weeks the girls were buried in their work for the biweekly articles, trying to get a little bit ahead so that Katrin didn’t have to worry about them while April was away on her business trip. Whenever they had free time the boys had either been dealing with the Foot or out on patrol, and the girls were passed out on the couch or floor by the time they were done with training.

Then, one evening after Katrin’s lessons her phone went off, just as it had been doing relentlessly for the past couple of weeks. But instead of the usual cutesy message from Mikey or even the occasional ‘how was your day’ from Leo, this time it was from Donnie.

Donnie: Hey um… are you busy Saturday?

Kat: I am free Saturday and Sunday and yes I want to hang out with you guys.

Donnie: Oh, actually… I had something particular in mind.

Kat: Are you finally getting me back for scaring you that one time?

Donnie: Haha, not this time. But I still haven’t forgotten and I have every intention of getting even.

Kat: Whatever you say~ So what did you have in mind?

Donnie: Well it’s a bit of a surprise, if that’s alright.

Kat: … You are totally asking me out on a date aren’t you.

“What’s that face for?”

Katrin looked up frantically from her corner of the sofa, having totally zoned out with a stupid grin on her face. “Um,” she thought, wondering if she should tell her, but decided that April would figure it out anyway. “I think… I think Donnie’s trying to ask me out.” She bit her lip as her smile widened at April’s expression.

The other giggled and gestured to her phone. “Well you can’t turn him down,” she insisted.

“Oh I have no intention of turning him down, I just want him to admit that’s what he’s trying to do,” Katrin said, twirling her phone as she waited, the text tone renewing her smile.

Donnie: That’s a pretty forward conclusion to draw.

Kat: Oh don’t even, you are and you know it.

Donnie: You’re the only one saying it.

Kat: Okay then what is it if it’s not a date.

Donnie: I simply wanted to be granted the opportunity to indulge you with fascinating scientific anomalies while in your solitary presence.

Kat: THAT’S A DATE

Donnie: Well since you seem so inclined to insist on this being a romantic engagement I certainly will do my best to oblige.

Kat: … you son of bitch.

Donnie: I’ll pick you up eight~


	13. 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sweet Lord I have conflicted feelings about this but I guess I still think it's cute.

“Katrin, for the love of God, get off the floor and come over here,” April scolded, holding up three heavy winter coats as she scowled at her roommate.

It had become known fairly quickly – a few minutes after she’d agreed to Donnie’s outing – that Katrin had never actually been on a date, or anything remotely resembling such. Once the initial giddiness had worn off she’d thrown herself into a nervous mess of jitters for two days, which was quite literally the opposite of her regular margin of personality.

At first April thought it was kind of sweet how Donnie had reduced the tomboyish firecracker to a blushing puddle of goo. And then as Friday came and went, the charade had long since gotten old, and Katrin was getting of accused of acting like him. She even ventured the bold statement of ‘He’s handling this better than you are, I’d expect this out of _him_ , not you’.

The girl was currently laying face down in the hallway, her hands turned up and at her side as she moaned in protest, having dramatically thrown herself to the ground upon Donnie’s latest message; Be ready in an hour. April was desperately trying to get the other dressed appropriately for both the weather and the nature of their excursion.

“Seriously, it’s fine, you’ll be fine. Now get your butt over here and let me see which coat looks nicest with your sweater blouse,” she said sternly from her bedroom, waiting by the full length mirror impatiently.

Katrin reluctantly pushed herself off the floor, the scratchy carpet rubbing her cheeks red. “I don’t know if I can go,” she whined, shuffling into the room and around the bed.

“Well you can’t back out now. Besides, there’s nothing to worry about, he’s never been on a date either,” she encouraged, slipping the heaviest coat over her shoulders first.

The other whined again and pouted at her reflection, shrugged out of the coat before letting April properly look her over. “Too hot.”

“Good, you can’t match these browns together anyway,” she agreed dismissively, tossing the coat onto the bed, grabbing the slightly lighter coat and repeating the process. “How about this one? You think the black is too dark?”

Katrin rolled her eyes, again thinking the coat was still too heavy. “April, it’s _black_. But it’s still too hot.”

April sighed and tossed it on top of the other rejected coat, hoping that the last one would be thick enough to keep her warm. “This one looks nicest anyways, plus I’ve got a matching scarf.”

“God you sound like Stacy London,” Katrin complained, letting April button her up and spin her around.

“Good,” April replied, pleased with herself after garnishing the other with a thin sheer scarf. “Now, what do you think?”

Katrin twisted around in the short hemmed melton top coat as April slipped on a pair of leather gloves to check her color coordination, leaving them when satisfied. “I feel like I’m back in Morocco.”

April rolled her eyes and guided her back into the living room, tossing over Katrin’s phone so she could attend to the little blinking light. “Are you sure you don’t want anything to eat?”

“No, if I do I’ll be sick,” she said, opening her messaging app and whining yet again at Donnie’s announcement of being on his way. “Are you sure I can’t just tell him I got sick?”

“No you can’t tell him that, you’ll break his heart. God what is up with you, just calm down.”

“But what if I’m awkward?”

“He won’t notice if you act normal and not like the world is coming _to an end_.”

“April-“

“Katrin listen to me. It’s not going to go anywhere that you don’t let it. All he wants to do is spend time with you, whether it’s a date or not is completely dependent on you.” She placed her hands on her pupil’s shoulders and shook her a little. “Don’t go soft on me now, soldier!”

They waited on the couch for another few minutes, Katrin fidgeting anxiously while April did a little cleanup work on one of her articles. It wasn’t long before Katrin’s phone went off and the girl was suddenly thrown into a new round of fits.

April didn’t want to keep to Donnie waiting but also needed to give Katrin an outlet for her bubbling frustration. “Here,” she said, handing over a throw pillow. “Just let out and then we’ll go.”

She graciously shoved her face into the fabric and cried, rolling off the couch and onto the living room floor and bundled heap. April saved her from her fussing over wrinkling the coat and settled for just being patient and understanding. When Katrin had pulled herself together she set the pillow back on the sofa and stood, brushing out the folds. “Okay I’m good.”

“You sure?” April asked skeptically.

“Yeah.”

The two made their way down the stairs and onto the first floor platform, April instantly spotting the Shell Raiser parked by the gate, the side door pulled open. As they approached Donnie looked from the navigational computer and smiled before finishing, his fingers tapping hesitantly over the keyboard.

Katrin peered around him and squinted. “What are you doing?”

“Ensuring we don’t get lost,” he replied casually, practically hearing her face fall as she shuffled behind him. “Don’t worry, it’s just been a while.”

She pursed her lips and decided not to dwell on it. “What’s in the cooler?”

The other sighed and stood, closing the door behind him. “You know a surprise is defined as being unexpected or astonishing? If I told you now it’d ruin the whole thing.”

April smiled with amusement and left Katrin in Donnie’s hands, bidding the two goodnight so she could head back inside. The two piled into the van and got themselves situated, Katrin looking around curiously, never having sat in the front seat.

“Don’t you think this thing might be a _little_ conspicuous?” she asked, wondering vaguely if they’ve ever been pulled over or questioned while out on patrol

Don laughed and pulled through to the other end of the alley where the traffic was a little less dense. “I suppose, but we won’t be in the city for very long,” he assured, double-checking the GPS as got himself oriented. “Besides, have you not seen some of the cars people drive around here? I know there’s a guy that’s registered to drive an actual Mystery Machine, so we should be fine.”

Twenty minutes later they were crossing the city limits, a winding road towards the Catskill mountains. State road 23 lead them upwards and towards the eastern part of the state, the nearly two hour trip landing them smack in the middle of the forested landscape. After the initial nerves of the whole thing settled they talked easily, Donnie telling her the story of how they found the little hideout he was taking her to while Katrin marveled at the scenery.

As ten o’clock rolled around they pulled off the main road and onto a local street that wound them up into the trees, the dirt road ending at a large farm gate. Katrin squinted into the distance as Donnie slid out and unlocked the gate, looking at him questioningly when he returned.

“So we’re out in the middle of nowhere, at night, _alone_ , and you’re just gonna break us in? Some date.”

“Again, you’re the only one saying it,” he replied, catching the various suggestive accusations. When she huffed and stared pointedly out the window he added, “Hey, I told you I didn’t mind it being a date~”

Katrin hid her face and kept quiet until Donnie parked the van, looking up at the sound of his door opening, following his motion to help. She slid out and walked around to the side door, ducking her head as he pulled out an armful of tripods and set them aside. She obediently took the cameras he handed her, slinging them around her neck and peering around with him to check for anything else they might need.

Donnie hoisted up the tripods and shouldered his computer bag, one hand poised at the door. “Hey, could you get the cooler?”

She obliged and moved so he could close and lock up the Shell Raiser, then followed him closely across the open yard and to the front of a looming wooden farm house cottage. The steps were a little steep, but she managed to get to the deck without falling over, then continued to stay close as he slipped around the side of the house and to the back porch, setting his things down to help Katrin. When she was relieved of her burden he slipped back around the corner and peered at her.

“You ready?” he asked, smiling at her through the darkness.

“Ready for what?” she queried, spinning around blindly until suddenly the place began to twinkle.

Softly glowing string lights illuminated the majority of the porch, winding around a large pergola arch, wrought iron lamp posts standing solidly in the corners. Plush whicker furniture surrounded an inlaid stone fire pit, the whole area decorated comfortably as if it were a second living space.

She turned as Donnie unfastened the pergola curtains, the still air allowing them to drape properly. “Well if it wasn’t a date it might as well be now,” she said sarcastically.

He laughed and moved to the fire pit, getting it started so they could keep warm. “You might want to be careful with the sarcasm,” he replied, smiling coyly. “If I end up misinterpreting this as a real date I might be inclined in kiss you.”

Katrin raised an eyebrow and shook her head, taking a seat in front of the fire on the couch to watch him fiddle with and set up his various cameras and the old dinosaur of a laptop. “So what’s with all the equipment?”

Donnie positioned and repositioned his cameras, looking back and forth between them and the laptop. “These are going to photograph and track the astronomical anomaly, essentially collecting data that I can review later. But mostly I thought you’d appreciate getting the opportunity to see this, it’s the king of its kind.” When he finished he joined her on the couch, checking the time before getting comfortable. “We’ve got about another hour or so before it starts, you hungry?”

She scowled faintly and winced, her stomach rolling slightly as she remembered that she had forgone eating earlier. “Yeah, actually.”

The other smiled and leaned over the edge of the couch, fishing around in the cooler for the two mismatched plates and delicately removed the cling wrap without messing up Mikey’s hard labor. “I don’t suppose you’ve ever had tiramisu?”

Katrin shook her head and peered at the modestly sized square of layered cake-like desert, gingerly taking her plate and freshly polished fork. He smiled at her eagerly as he waited for her to take the first bite, partly out of politeness and partly out of curiosity. She blushed as she felt his eyes on her and tentatively cut a corner to slip it in her mouth, her eyes fluttering at the airy texture and rich taste.

“You like it?” he asked, grinning as she nodded furiously. “Mikey was afraid he’d put too much rum in it,” he mentioned, carefully stretching his legs across the couch and around the girl. She leaned into him slightly, making the corners of his mouth tug involuntarily as he repositioned himself to make her more comfortable.

They ate quickly and talked freely, Donnie offering up hot chocolate after putting away their plates and forks. As the fifteen minute mark hit, he turned off the fire pit and porch lights, bathing them both in darkness. Katrin clutched her coat tighter around her shoulders, allowing him to pull her against his chest. She propped herself up on her elbows so they could continue talking, not totally unaware of his hands rubbing circles into her back.

“I just don’t understand why that’s so hard to believe,” Katrin retorted, smiling through the redness in her cheeks.

Donnie shrugged and glanced upwards, his eyes scanning the wide open sky before looking back at the other. “I guess you just didn’t seem like the type to me, but I’m not great at reading people anyway,” he explained, averting his eyes as she looked at him.

“There wasn’t much of a point, all of the guys that had any interest were complete assholes, and I didn’t have time for their competitive macho bullshit. I remember for a while I passed myself off as a lesbian so they’d leave me alone,” she added, snerking at his surprised his expression.

“What? Really? It got that bad?” he asked, smiling in disbelief as she cringed.

“Yeah,” she admitted, darting her eyes off to the side. “I got caught a few times so it didn’t last very long. But what about you? I’ve noticed that nerdy is the new sexy~”

At this he laughed, the little snort causing Katrin to join in. “I _highly_ doubt that, but even if I humored you the variable wouldn’t change the inevitable outcome. In case you haven’t noticed, we don’t get out much, so it’s not exactly like I get the chance to flaunt my standing in nerdom.”

She nodded with a small ‘yeah’, then smiled again. “Well you managed to impress me, so your odds can’t be all that bad.”

Donnie rolled his eyes. “I still consider you a stroke of luck and a fully isolated event. At this point I’d rather quit while I’m ahead.”

Katrin turned her eyes downward, suddenly conflicted. “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

He was silent for a moment, sensing a shift in her mood. “That would depend on how you looked at it. I mean, we all want to find that sort of acceptance in others. But personally, your company is plenty enough for me,” he said softly, butterflies dancing through his body as she blushed fiercely, her eyes trained on his.

In that sweet moment the cool air was hot on their skin, the faint glow of the sliver of moon too bright in their eyes, and the silence lingered thickly. They were aware of nothing but each other and hardly even themselves, their eyes searching desperately for something to say.

His emotions went rampant in his mind, switching between embarrassment and regret before he sternly got control over himself. Ultimately he was going to say something eventually, unless he was beyond a certain percentage of being sure he didn’t have a chance. But she only continued to show signs of interest, and decided that the sooner he got it over with the better off he’d be. It would give him more time to get over the rejection, which he wouldn’t have needed assuming his emotional investment didn’t exceed his assumptions.

She, on the other hand, was contemplating on an internal battle. They both knew it was huge decision to make for either one of them, considering only the unique nature of the circumstance. But she knew she was far more worried about her hurting him than the other way around, and that alone was cause enough for a debate. What other chance would he get besides her? And how selfish should she be for thinking such a thing? But his words rang in her head, and somewhere along the line she deemed them accurate, that she most likely was a lucky singularity and that he was far more deserving of her affections than having to deal with her juvenile indecisiveness only to come to the same conclusion.

Maybe that’s why she leaned in first, her breath hitching as his grip tightened around her waist in faint apprehension. But she left him no room to second guess, her lips brushing softly against his and pausing hesitantly, waiting for him to become engaged. As he pressed the kiss deeper she melted against him, sighing as a hand moved from her waist to slip under her jaw, holding her still. They moved their mouths together, awkwardly at first before finding an easy rhythm, pulling away only to breathe in the cool December air.

Katrin opened her eyes slowly, her lips protesting against the chill. As she darted her eyes up to meet his she caught a glint in the reflection of his glasses, turning her gaze to the sky. She rose to her hands and stared awestruck at the heavens, streaks of light trailing across the open expanse every handful of seconds. Her eyes widened as her lips parted, the expression of pure amazement gracing her features.

Right then, as Donatello watched her gaze at the sky, he decided that she was absolutely the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. In that moment she was so very precious to him, and he knew that her worth was far more than every one of the stars he could see in her eyes. His heart swelled as she smiled slowly, wishing that he could articulate just how much she meant to him.

They watched as little streaks of light passed between the stars, Katrin resting her head against his shoulder as Donnie rubbed her back. The minutes passed without notice, an impossible number of seconds to keep track of as the two were wrapped in each other’s warmth. It was well into the night when Donnie decided that the peak of the meteor shower was over, knowing that the girl needed to be in a warm bed sooner rather than later.

Donnie shifted her onto the couch as he stood, moving to power down and repack his equipment. Two trips were enough to move everything back into the van, carrying Katrin back on the third. When she was settled and buckled in, he slid into the driver’s seat and closed her door, making sure not to wake her.

When she awoke his arms were pulling her down to her feet, one winding around her waist to help keep her steady. He walked her slowly up the stairs as she became more fully awake, fishing out her apartment key.

“Alright,” he said, “Let’s try and be quiet so we don’t wake April.” He scowled as he was handed the key. “Why are you handing it to me?”

She replied flatly, “You’re the ninja.”

He rolled his eyes and went about carefully fiddling with the lock and easing the door open. As it inched open he froze, a waft of air making him gag and turn away. One shrieking cry of pleasure later he swiftly relocked the deadbolt and looked at Katrin. “Uh, why don’t you spend the night at the lair…” he suggested, guiding her back down the stairs.

When they arrived Donnie pulled her out of the Shell Raiser and carried her through the tunnels and into the den, catching the looks of confusion from Leo and Mikey as he stepped into the living space.

“Why didn’t you take her back home?” Leo whispered, stealing a glance at Mikey.

Donnie paused and replied with a question, “Did you notice that Raph was gone?”

The two made faces of sudden understanding, Leo promising to keep the noise down so the girl could sleep. Donnie smiled in thanks and continued on towards the bedroom, laying her gently among the blankets to rummage around for a pair of pajamas. It took a keen eye but he found something that her extra wide hips would be able to squeeze into, setting them aside to help her out of her coat.

She sighed with a shiver as the cool air of the den nearly ate through her sweater, her eyes growing heavier. Donnie turned to allow her some privacy while she changed, sticking around only for legitimate concern of her falling out of the nest. When she finished she leaned over and grasped his hand, pulling him down into the nest with her.

“Katrin, I can’t-“ he was cut off by a gentle shoosh and her arms ghosting along his sides in search for his shoulders, making his skin tingle. “Alright fine,” he whispered, “but only for a minute.” He curled around her and tucked her head against his chest, one hand stroking her hair as she nuzzled into him.

Soon she was fully asleep and Donnie removed himself as carefully as he could, shuffling out into the living space to drag Mikey off to help him unpack the van. Once his equipment was back in his lab he reheated a cup of coffee and went about sorting through his cameras, cross referencing maps and other photos to make notes before filing them away a few hours later.

When he left his lab he noticed that Raph had come home, the smell of sex wafting faintly through the den leading to the back where he had disappeared into the washroom. Leo and Mikey had migrated onto the couch to watch the cooking channel, meaning that Katrin was still alone in the bedroom.

He dropped his mug off in the kitchen sink before slipping into the bedroom, pulling off and folding his warmer outer clothing in favor for a thinner pair of shorts and an extra heavy blanket. Donnie resumed his role as the big spoon, draping the quilt over both of them as Katrin shifted and smiled up at him. His stomach fluttered as she reached up and pulled him closer, winding his arms around her as she kissed him sleepily, giggling when he returned the gesture with a little more enthusiasm.

The wee hours of the morning overlapped their sleeping schedules, and for a few of them they slept soundly wrapped in the quilts and each other’s comfort.


	14. 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Be warned, there's a nipple. Not gonna tag this with nsfw, cuz, you know, it's just a nipnop. But I'll feel bad if I don't say anything.

When Donnie woke Katrin was shifting stiffly in his arms, stretching her legs and rolling onto her stomach. He slowly opened his eyes and rolled his shoulders, his hands ghosting over her bare skin as he breathed in the vanilla scent of her hair. Though, as his fingers calmly rubbed circles into her skin, he began to notice that was wearing far less clothing than he thought she should have been.

As some point in the middle of the night she had rid herself of the thick long sleeved shirt and fleece pajama pants, and was currently pressed firmly against his plastron clad in nothing but her lacey blue and white stripped boyshorts. He held his breath as he looked down, seeing his arms wrapped protectively around her in contrast with her pale skin making his cheeks flush. The faint glow of the orange lights they kept lit during the day made her soft roundness more tempting than he knew how to handle, and without much hesitation he indulged his curiosity.

She sighed as he pressed his finger between her shoulder blades and slid it down the length of her back, running the palm of his hand along her sides and around her arms slowly and methodically. He absently placed kisses on the back of her neck and along her shoulder, his hand sliding underneath her to help turn her over. She hummed quietly and raised her arms above her head, her lips suddenly assaulted with kisses that she happily returned.

For a blissful moment they simply just kissed each other, Katrin’s arms wrapped lazily around his neck while Donnie tried to keep his hands modestly around her shoulders and back. Though it wasn’t long before Don felt a stroke of boldness, flicking his tongue out to test the waters. When she opened her mouth in response he slid his hand under her butt and gave a little squeeze, smiling against her lips as she gasped and arched into him. He ran his fingertips along the back of her thigh and hitched her leg over his hip, then moved his hand behind her neck to keep her still while he slipped his tongue over hers.

Katrin shivered as her body began responding to his gently dominant ministrations, eager to be submissive and follow however far he decided to go. Somehow, as bizarre at it might have seemed, she felt like they had finally reached the inevitable. It might have been a bit quick paced, but she had never really been one to drag things out unnecessarily, and he didn’t seem to be bothered or aware of the notion.

However, the persistent tug of his tail was enough to have him backing off, though still holding her as though she were as fragile as glass. He shamefully searched her eyes, wondering if he’d pushed things too far and ruined whatever shred of chivalry he had still going for him. But he found no such indications, only the sheer depths of her green eyes and the lazy attempted smile.

Donnie looked away guiltily, tucking her within his arms hoping to hide his embarrassment. But he needed to know, as much as he didn’t want to bring it up or even say anything at all, he knew he’d continue to feel ashamed if he kept to himself. “Can I ask you something?”

She smirked as best she could, her cheeks smooshed between his chest and limbs. “I swear I don’t remember taking my clothes off.”

He smiled despite himself, and realized just how thankful he was for her way of dealing with serious situations. She knew he either was nervous or felt awful, and yet she found a way to ebb his anxiety without dismissing him entirely. “Well I wasn’t even going to ask,” he replied, his heart swelling as she giggled quietly. “But,” he continued, “I would like to know… where this might end up going.”

Katrin bit her lip and tensed slightly, the natural awkwardness of the conversation causing her cheeks to redden considerably. But ultimately she knew she had to leave the decision up to him before she would have an adequate opportunity to help him feel secure either way. “It doesn’t have to go anywhere you don’t want it to,” she said softly, feeling the twitch of his muscles.

Donnie was quiet for a few minutes, fighting his logical habits to dig deeper, to sort this out where it mattered. Rarely did he ever use emotion to decide on anything, because even when it came to his family it was more instinct than anything, but this time he only had his feelings to rely on. For nearly two months he’d shoved them aside, discarded them, ignored them, thought them as no more than a fruitless distraction. In that regard he feared that maybe he was starting to become more like Raphael, and that alone was enough to make up his mind.

“Leo’s right,” he breathed, letting her pull back enough to watch him. “None of us can guarantee you any kind of safety, no matter how much I want to. And I can’t promise this won’t be hard sometimes, but I’ll try and make the mutual association as even as I can. You’ll just have to bear with me sometimes…”

She smiled as her shoulders quivered, her fingers absently clutching at his arms. “If it’ll make you feel better I can be more of a pain in the ass than I am now~”

His lips cracked into a grin and he had to restrain himself from waking the others with his gentle laughter, burying his face in her hair. He gathered her back into his arms and tucked his head, finding her lips easily and noting how she resumed her earlier position. The seemingly large amount of confidence she had put in him had rekindled his previous bout of courage, along with how she was trailing her fingertips along his sides. He shuddered and resisted the urge to roll on top of her, knowing the current igloo-like structure of the blankets were enough to smother her.

They seamlessly picked up exactly where they had left off, tenderly ravaging each other’s mouths and their hands trailing patterns and memorizing everything. Katrin slowly delved her hands a little farther down, gripping at his hips as he sighed and rolled into her wantonly. She hitched her breath as he wound a hand underneath her, shuddering as he ground harder and tilted her head aside, dragging his tongue across the skin of her neck before nibbling carefully.

As she attempted to dip her hands beneath the waistband of his shorts Donnie caught them both and pinned them above her head. Her body arched as he trailed kisses along her jaw and down between her breasts, darting his eyes upwards just once to catch any sign of discomfort. The lax expression and the way she squirmed as he paused negated his hesitation, and after a deep breath he continued, teasing the tip of his tongue around her nipple before pulling it into his mouth. She arched off the bed and he slid his free hand under the small of her back, pulling her slightly closer to him. He continued to tease, evening out the attention until he was sure she might unintentionally make noise, then stopped and pulled away.

“You should probably head home,” he mentioned, fighting away the smile as she stared back in confusion.

“Wha- Are you serious? You’re just going to _leave_ me like this?” she hissed back, utterly amazed that the seemingly meek little turtle had the ability to be such a merciless tease. “You son of a bitch.”

He only continued to smile. “Consider this payback,” he replied smugly, releasing her hands.

She huffed dismissively and went about searching for her phone to shoot April a text, then shuffled around for her discarded clothing. It took some digging, but eventually she was redressed, pulling her coat from the dresser and folding the rest of her clothes over one arm. They quietly exited the lair side-by-side, neither commenting on how or why their hands had become awkwardly intertwined.

By the time they emerged from the main tunnel, April’s car was parked in the usual spot, their hands disengaging without a word so as to avoid a barrage of questions. Donnie waved them off as they pulled away and onto the street, disappearing amongst the traffic.

April peeked over at Katrin expectantly, eventually deciding she’d have to initiate. “So, how was your _date_?”

“Oh my God.” Katrin sighed and covered her face, all hopes of prolonging the inevitable crushed instantly. “It was _fine_.”

“It must have been, you spent the night,” the other teased, grinning as Katrin’s cheeks brightened.

The other scowled. “You know, I wouldn’t have had to if you hadn’t been fucking your boyfriend at _three in the morning_ ,” she emphasized, her hands clawing in the air.

April stiffened with embarrassment. “Oh… right.”

“ _Yeah_.”

“Well,” she coughed, biting her lip as a nervous habit. “What did you guys do?”

Katrin folded her arms and smirked. “I got to see my first meteor shower, which was actually pretty cool,” she said, peering out the window.

“Oh good, he was really excited to take you.” She was silent for a moment before continuing. “So, what _else_ did you do?”

The other stared from her seat, her arms still crossed. “What are you insinuating?”

“Oh come on, you’re being really stand-offish about the whole thing, that means _something_ happened.”

“Yeah, a lot of things happened. We drove through the mountains, there was this really cool wooden cabin house with a nice back porch, we ate Italian dessert and had hot chocolate. What else do you want from me?”

“You guys made out.”

“ _April_ -”

“How far did you go?”

“ _What_?”

“Did you guys have sex?”

“ _Jesus Christ shut up_!”

April braked a little harder than intended at the stop light, staring worriedly at the other. “Wait, you didn’t really have-“

“ _No_!” Katrin glowered out the window and dug her nails into her coat sleeves, glancing challengingly at the other.

The rest of the ride home was silent, April grinning smugly at the other’s discomfort, Katrin pointedly looking out the window. When they arrived in the apartment Katrin poked into April’s room to set the coat on her bed, then tossed the rest of her clothes on her own before meandering back into the kitchen for coffee.

Just as she was stirring in her creamer and Splenda, she heard April gasp and begin to laugh breathlessly. Katrin turned to look at the other, an eyebrow raised in suspicion. “What are you laughing at?”

April walked over and pulled aside the wide collar of her pupil’s shirt, biting her tongue to stifle the giggles. “Wow, I never took him for a biter but I guess it really _is_ a turtle thing.”

Katrin swatted her hand away and attempted to find whatever had been the object of April’s amusement, deciding that the hallway mirror would do her more good. She yanked back her shirt collar and stared in shock, her cheeks once again tingeing with extra pigment. Right above her collarbone was wide purple bruise, covering her skin nearly all the way to the joint of her shoulder. The shy, timid little turtle had actually left a mark.

And of course she got shit for it all week. It didn’t matter that she wore a scarf as tightly as she could without chocking herself overtop of a turtleneck. The fact that she was wearing a _turtleneck_ was enough to get a playfully snide comment from April. In between shifts, on breaks, at home, in the car, she avoided the lair for a week for fear of April mortifying Donnie in front of her.

But of course she just happened to slip up when Vern was around. The second he got sight of the still visible brown mark he practically went to town, always making sure another official was present so she couldn’t drop him on the floor with a bloody nose.

“You guys are so _fucking immature_. My _God_.” She balled her hands into fists and stomped out of the break room, glaring daggers at the floor as she made her way back into her workspace. As she sat down tiredly her phone pinged and she begrudgingly wrestled it from her pocket.

Donnie: Hey, are you alright? Nobody’s heard from you in quite a while.

Katrin: Yeah, I’m sorry. It’s been a rough week.

Donnie: What happened?

Katrin: April happened.

Donnie: … what did you tell her?

Katrin: I um… didn’t have to…

Donnie: I AM SO SORRY. HOW BAD WAS IT.

Katrin: Chill, scarf took care of it.

Donnie: ARE YOU SURE. I REALLY DIDN’T MEAN TO.

Katrin: Omg calm down, it’s not that bad.

Donnie: OnO;;

Katrin: Did you just… come on brah, I expect that from Mikey, not you.

Donnie: QnQ;;

Katrin: You are acting like a child.

Donnie: ;A;

Katrin: Oh my God sTOP.

Donnie: ;~;

Katrin: Ò^Ó

Donnie: Ha. I win.

Katrin: OH FOR FUCKS SAKE.

Donnie: Do you feel better?

Katrin: Well April is staring at me because I’m smiling like an idiot, so I guess I do.

Donnie: Good. When do I get to see you again?

Katrin: I dunno, it might not be until late next week. We’re trying to get the next two biweeklies done so that April doesn’t have to worry about me worrying over them while she’s gone.

Donnie: Gone?

Katrin: Business trip, she leaves right after Christmas. But she promises we’ll be there for that, so no later than next Thursday.

Donnie: Okay, keep in touch though.

Katrin: Will do~

“Aww,” April cooed, folding her arms as she leaned against the wall. “Was that your _boyfriend_?”

“Go ahead, laugh it up.” Katrin narrowed her eyes with a smile, the promise for revenge that was known between them. “But you better watch your back, O’Neil, I know where you sleep.”

She sighed and dropped her arms. “We share an apartment, I know where you sleep too, shell-for-brains,” she said, sliding around into her own cubicle to finish her work as their shift neared its end.

For the next few days April attempted to pack, but her loathing of the trip only drew out the process. It took her nearly three days for an equally long trip to Jacksonville Florida, which was the only perk to going at all considering their winter weather was currently in the upper 70s and lower 80s. It took the collective brain power of them both to decide on appropriate attire, which was mostly Katrin telling April to ‘put the damn coat back in the closet, you don’t need it!’.

When April wasn’t packing she was making lists of emergency phone numbers, addresses, recipes for easy dishes, caller IDs to avoid like the plague, and various other nitpicky things. Then she made copies of those and stuck one on the fridge, put one on the dresser in Katrin’s room, and put a list of things to do before leaving the house on the front door.

“Jesus, don’t you think you’re going a litter overboard?” Katrin asked, watching April disperse the notes about the house. “I’ve lived here for almost seven months.”

April pursed her lips and replied, “I just want to be sure that if anything goes wrong I get to blame you and not the fact that I was careless.”

“Oh please, what could go wrong?”

“Don’t jinx it!” April scolded, glaring at the other with a hint of legitimate seriousness.

Katrin groaned and flopped on the couch, turning the news channel in favor of something a little more festive. “Hey, we should watch Nixon and Hogan Smoke Christmas!” she said cheerily as April re-entered the living room.

The other scowled. “It sounds like another version of Hansel and Gretel Get Baked,” she said disappointedly. “Besides, we still need to wrap presents.”

With a sigh Katrin helped unearth the wrapping paper and bows from within her closet, but insisted they watch the movie while they work. They each spread out on the floor with their four boxes and began cutting paper, the horrified screams of the movie an odd ambiance.

The two worked silently for a while, each getting about halfway done before April felt the need to mention something.

“So, this’ll be the first Christmas I’ve spent with them, and I know they’ve got their weird traditions,” she mentioned, curling a ribbon with a slightly complex sense of accuracy.

Katrin looked up from her own box, her eyes darting around as if confused. “Well, yeah. I would almost expect them to.”

April twisted her mouth a little, wondering if she was making it into too big of a deal. “I know, I just… want you to be prepared for anything. To be honest, I’m surprised Thanksgiving turned out as normal as it did.”

“Normal? Dude, I was haulin’ my ass all over the sewers because I thought I was going to get _kidnapped_ by the _Foot Clan_ ,” she retorted, staring at her mentor is disbelief that such a thing could be passed off as normal.

“Well, it was normal for me.”

They quickly finished wrapping, garnishing, and addressing each present, setting them in a neat pile under the bar counter until Christmas Day, which came sooner than either was really prepared for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, if anyone is interested, I will be posting fanart for this story to the deviantART account that is linked on my profile page. It'll be in it's own folder if you wish to spare yourself the rest of my weird drawings.


	15. 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT NOTICE: So there's a few blank spots in the plot line that need some filling up and I am going to enlist my lovely readers to help me out! There's a link to my tumblr on the profile page ( music-is-the-addiction.tumblr.com ) and I would greatly appreciate if you sent me an ask (anon or not) for a ONE-SHOT STORY PROMPT. I won't guarantee I'll write it out fully or to the letter, but I will include ideas from each prompt I receive! Thank you all so much for your continued support!

Both Katrin and April were awoken by the rapid pinging of both of their phones, courtesy of Mikey in their group chat.

Mikey: GOOD MORNING IT’S CHRISTMAS

Leo: Mikey, we’re all trying to sleep.

Mikey: SHUT UP LEO IT’S CHRISTMAS. ALSO WHY ARE YOU TEXTING ME BACK YOU’RE LITERALLY RIGHT NEXT TO ME.

The two girls grinned at the young turtle’s antics, knowing that he had waited until it was morning so as not to disturb them much. They each rolled out of bed, Katrin a little later than April, and fixed their preferred type of coffee before debating on whose turn it was to supply breakfast.

“Why don’t we take Vern to IHOP?” April said, her mug still close to her lips.

Katrin furrowed her eyebrows and curled into her own cup. “Why would we take him to breakfast?”

She pretended to think briefly before replying, “Hmm, because his family lives out of state and he doesn’t have the funds to go visit them and he’ll otherwise spend the holiday alone?”

As much as Katrin liked to poke fun at and tease April’s choice cameraman, she couldn’t actually say she disliked him much. It was more of a ‘I love to hate on you in a kind and platonic sort of way’ type of relationship. Plus she had really strong family and togetherness values and April knew exactly how to play them.

“Oh fine, go call him and I’ll take a shower.” Katrin huffed and disappeared into the bathroom with her mug still clutched comfortingly in her hands. She was in and out within half an hour and spent another waiting for April to finish so they could leave.

They met Vern in the parking lot, Katrin sneering at his dressy choice of clothing. “Aw, I’m sorry for your loss, I’m sure you’ll find more hopes and dreams some day.”

Vern rolled his eyes as they entered the restaurant, a waitress seating them immediately. “Hey, at least I can find other hopes and dreams, you only get one face.”

April groaned and sat next to Vern, peering between them. “Alright you two, cut it out before I have you kiss and make up.”

“Oh don’t worry April, she wouldn’t want to if I told her where these lips have been,” Vern replied, smugly flipping through the menu.

Katrin pointed a finger to her mouth and gagged. “No thanks, Jack Frost.”

Until their food came April calmly went about ignoring their blatant disregard for the other people sitting around them. Once the waitress graced them with breakfast their petty rivalry calmed to a simmer.

“So,” Vern began, cutting into his pancakes. “How much of a fight did April have to put up to get you to agree let me join you for breakfast?”

The intern chewed on her toast and shrugged. “Not much. IHOP beats having to eat pop-tarts all the time.”

April unintentionally sniggered as her hand flew to her mouth. Katrin lowered her hands and looked across the table, her eyes widening expectantly for an explanation.

“You’re gonna have to tell me sooner or later why the hell pop-tarts are so important,” she demanded, eyeing April coldly.

For a while after that they all ate in silence, the clinking of utensils on plates mingling with the soft background chatter of the rest of the customers. People bustled in and out and they quietly indulged in the act of people watching, silently pointing someone out if they were wearing obnoxiously themed clothing or were trying to herd a pack of children. Eventually one of them broke, and no one was surprised it was Vern.

“So remember that hot Cuban girl that was at the Halloween party?” he asked, dismissing that the other two rolled their eyes. “I totally got a date with her.”

Katrin looked at him sideways, a smirk playing on her lips. “Oh really? And how did you manage that?” She glanced up at April, who was silently wondering the same thing.

He frowned a little and took an extra large bite of eggs, chewing slowly before swallowing. “I showed her the thing you gave me,” he answered quietly, almost regretting that he hadn’t come up with something else.

April continued to look confused as Katrin bent over her plate and wheezed with laughter. “I don’t get it.”

Katrin looked up and tried to explain through her fit, “Okay, so you know Mrs. Gudera, right? Her daughter goes to the LGBT meetings every month, and I went with her in October,” she had to pause and recompose herself. “Well they always have this massive bin of condoms, right? And usually half of them are flavored or whatever. So for October,” she snickered and put down her fork. “They were all _pumpkin spice_.”

Vern and April both sighed as the other was once again reduced to unintelligible giggling, April giving the other a bit of a look before looking back up at Vern. “So I have this feeling it wasn’t that easy.”

The other shrugged and continued to pick around his pancakes. “It seemed pretty easy, she laughed about it all night. Hasn’t called me about that date though…”

Katrin moaned and sipped her tea. “Well then she obviously was playing you, it’s been almost two months. I don’t think she’s actually going to ask you out, dude,” she replied, feeling almost a little guilty for giving him the hard truth.

He humphed and looked passively down at his food, his fork twirling in his fingers. “So, what are you guys doing today?”

The two girls looked between each other before April answered him. “Well, we don’t have to worry about the next two articles, so we might go shopping for a little while before we visit the boys,” she said, noting the way Vern pursed his lips.

“Do they even celebrate Christmas?” he asked, finishing off the last of his pancakes and eggs.

April scrunched her face a little. “They say they do, but I can’t imagine it being very traditional.”

For another moment the conversation dies down, interrupted only by a notification from Katrin’s phone. She checked it curiously, noting it was from her bank, and went about checking her accounts, nearly dropping her phone in shock.

“What happened?” her mentor asked, looking concerned.

Katrin was quiet for another few seconds before answering. “It’s from my bank account… I just got a transfer from the Attijariwafa Bank in Casablanca.”

“The what?”

“It’s my aunt and uncle’s bank,” she said flatly, her eyes trained on the unbelievable figures. “The just transferred five hundred thousand dollars into my account,” she continued, internally fighting with her emotions.

April’s eyes widened and she leaned in a little closer. “What for?”

Katrin shook her head slowly. “I don’t know. I mean, I usually always get a little money during the holidays and my birthday, but it’s never been more than a couple grand… And there’s no note with it either.”

The other two were quiet as she made sure there wasn’t a mistake. Vern finally wasn’t able to subdue his curiosity and delved a typical question. “What are you gonna do with it?”

At this the girl smirked, her own morals questioning themselves. “We goin’ shoppin’~”

* * *

Usually Katrin was very picky and frugal with her spending, as helping to pay rent and buy groceries and supply gas money were most important. However, she knew that the money she had been sent was practically pocket change for her relatives, and that there wouldn’t be any strings attached. So she saw nothing wrong in indulging a little.

Vern got a few new suits from Men’s Warehouse, along with a couple of sets of dress shirts and a panini press. April took some stern coaxing to allow her pupil to treat her, but eventually she agreed on a handful of work clothes and evening dresses, as Katrin had many a time chided her wardrobe choices. Of course she made a few extra stops for the boys, excited that she’d be able to expand on the gifts she already had lined up for them.

And for herself, the idea of a new car was just too good to pass up. So she made sure the boys were waiting outside for them when they pulled up, a light cloud of dust trailing behind the new 2015 Chevy corvette stingray.

As they stepped out and were greeted by the four massive turtles, Raph and Mikey seemed to be only two impressed with the new set of wheels. Leo and Donnie, on the other hand, were a little concerned with how they managed to come in possession of such an expensive thing.

“How much,” Donnie demanded, his arms folded as though he were disappointed.

Katrin huffed and shook her head. “It doesn’t matter.”

“Yes. It does.”

“Not really, no.”

“Just tell me.”

“ _Fine_ ,” she groaned, pulling out her phone to check the exact amount that had been subtracted from her account. “$68,765 and some change, happy?”

At this the others stopped their little conversations and peered at her, Leo scowling slightly. “Where did you get the money for it?”

April waved him off and settled everyone down. “Relax, it was practically a gift.”

Katrin beamed again as everyone went back to being surprised, asking how that could possibly be. “I got a Christmas present from my slightly less shitty guardians in Morocco, so it’s already paid off in full.”

April herded everyone into the sewer as they continued to ask questions, having Raph and Leo tote in the modest armfuls of presents. As they entered the layer April had them drop off the boxes at whatever ‘tree’ they had, the two boys disappearing into the rec room. Splinter rose from the couch to greet the girls, wrapping them each in a warm hug and a few pats on the back.

“It is so nice for you to be here this year, my sons are very excited,” he said with a smile, ushering them into the kitchen where Mikey had migrated to.

He turned from the stove with a broad grin. “Hope you guys are hungry, I made everyone’s favorites~” he sang, thumbing a finger in the direction of the island counter, which was laden with various fresh dishes along with copious amounts of cookies and bite sized pastries.

Of course there was a large steaming pan of sheng jian for Leo, the little round dumplings studded with sesame and green onions. Next to that sat a platter of white rice topped with teriyaki chicken and steamed vegetables for Raph. Off to the side sat a shallow pot filled with sōmen chanpuru, which admittedly was mostly noodles and tofu because Donnie didn’t favor many vegetables. And lastly, Mikey had prepared himself a large helping of sindara saikyo-yaki paired with an equal amount of yaki imo. In the empty spots between the dishes bowls of miso soup and plates of onigiri were squeezed in to make room.

“Well, except for you two, I didn’t know what Asian foods you liked, so I’ll just give you a little bit of everything,” he mentioned, finishing up the last batch of pork fried rice and setting it on the counter with the rest of the mismatched dishes.

Katrin approached the counter cautiously, her nose under attack from the sheer vastness of the mixed flavors. There was sweet and tangy, and bitter, and nutty, and some grain, a little fish without being unpleasant, vegetables galore, the unmistakable mix of soy and sake that was teriyaki, and everything in between. It was beyond tempting. “When do we eat?”

Mikey smiled happily at her eagerness, shutting everything down in the kitchen and sidling over to the large dining table that had been moved into the living area from their storage room. Donnie slipped around to the counter and helped him move plates, bowls, and the wok of fried rice. They quickly set up the table and were nearly finished by the time Raph and Leo took their time in shuffling back into the room, picking up the last few dishes as Splinter guided the girls over.

Splinter and Mikey were at the two ends of the table, Raph and Leo squeezing April between them as Katrin and Donnie sat across from them. The rat took a moment to peer over his small family, smiling as they joined hands and looked back expectantly for him to begin their prayer. He bowed his head and spoke softly, an easy stream of Japanese flowing from his lips as he spoke of each them, wishing them all good fortune and the patience to continually grow as siblings. When he finished the boys politely went about serving their Master, the cook, and the girls before themselves, Mikey grinning with satisfaction at the sound of clinking plates and forks.

April spoke first, eyeing her plate with a watering mouth as she glanced over to Katrin, who wore the same expression shamelessly. “Well, so far this seems pretty normal,” she pointed out, her eyes glancing over each of the turtles.

Leo smirked down at his plate, swallowing his mouthful politely before responding. “Oh don’t worry, it won’t be for long.”

Small talk bounced around the table, inclusive to everyone so that there was never a silent moment. Dinner lasted for well over an hour, not including the forty minutes it took Raph, Leo, Donnie, and the girls to help clean up. But once everything was clean and whatever leftovers there were had been put in the fridge for the next few days, Splinter called them all into the back of the rec room.

The far wall had been covered with cloth and decorated with flowers, candles, small trinkets and an empty table. They huddled around the rat as he approached the table, pulling out seven tea lights and one thin taper candle, lighting the thin rod of wax and hovering it over the empty plate in the middle of the tea lights.

“This night we remember those who we loved that we have lost and that we send our blessings to, those we hold close and in remembrance. Tonight, I wish send blessing to the families of fallen Foot Clan,” he spoke softly, lighting a candle as he finished before passing the taper along to Leo.

The leader gently took the thin stick of wax and then closed his eyes. “I wish to send blessings to those who have lost family to the Foot Clan,” he said, lighting another tea light then passing the rite on to Raphael.

“I wish to remember those who died in the streets last spring,” his voice was quiet and gruff, and he stood slowly as he handed the candle to Donnie.

Having to hunch a little more over the table, Donnie minded the taper carefully as he spoke. “I wish to remember the orphans we couldn’t protect.”

Katrin saw flashes of guilt and pain flit across the boys’ faces, tucking slightly into themselves with shame. She watched as Mikey sighed quietly and took his place by the table, peering at the three unlit candles.

“I wish to send blessings to all the people who’ve been locked away because we were careless and allowed ourselves to be seen.” He lit a tea light and looked at April, placing the dripping taper in her hand as he stood.

She knelt down and rolled the candle in her fingertips, mulling over what to say. “I wish to send blessings to those who have shown unconditional kindness,” she said finally, leaving one candle dark as Katrin moved to take her place.

The girl bowed her head and peered at the small circle of wavering flames, keeping the end of the taper above the plate as she whispered. “I wish to remember the parents I never knew, and send blessings to those who have been kind enough to raise me and treat me with grace even when they didn’t have to.” She set the last candle aflame and rose from her knees, handing the slowly burning taper back to Splinter.

With a few parting words in Japanese, he snuffed the taper and set it aside, allowing the rest of the candles to burn. Then he turned to the others and smiled, thanking them for taking the time to honor others and send blessings before saying goodnight and padding into his room.

When the rat master was out of sight, Mikey turned and smiled, hoping to bring back the cheer of Christmas. “So, what tradition shall we do first?”

With some eager pleading from Donnie, the unanimous vote was to open presents first, which burnt away any leftover grief. Adults or not, they still all held a special feeling of excitement towards the commercialized ritual.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't care what anyone says, I know that in their time of being topside, the boys have seen and dealt with some heavy shit. And you can't convince me that at least a few people haven't been sent to a psyche ward because they told someone they saw giant turtles.


	16. 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why do I have so much fun embarrassing these turtles.

The six of them huddled in a group around the Christmas ‘tree’. In all fairness, it _was_ a sort of tree, as Raph and Leo had actually managed to find and drag in a literal tree, but the moment Mikey and Donnie got their hands on it for decoration purposes, the ‘tree’ part started to become little more than just an adjective used as both a seasonal correctness and a way to let the girls knows it was _supposed_ to be a tree. Though, the unruly amount of lights, gadgets, trinkets, and odd little knick-knacks had mostly turned it into some sort of sci-fi abomination, which seemed absolutely appropriate.

Neither April nor Katrin made any sort of comment on the thing, hoping that would signal that they didn’t think it too bizarre to question. Instead they went about insisting that the boys open their gifts first, but were quickly and easily shot down and outnumbered.

“Alright, fine,” April sighed, settling comfortably and looking around. “So who goes first?”

Leo smiled, “Well since you seem so excited, why don’t you go first?”

Donnie pulled a box out from under the tree and eagerly gave it to April, smiling as she took it from his hands. He watched as she opened it, the grin on his face spreading as she smirked down at the brand new, handmade laptop sitting in its box. “I thought maybe it was time for a replacement,” he said.

She nodded and set it between her Katrin, thanking him profusely. Next she was handed another eager present from Mikey, opening it curiously as there was an infinite number of possibilities when it came to getting gifts from the more creative turtle. The box opened to reveal a beautiful array of painted chocolates, each sporting a different shape, color, and pattern.

“I know how much you like my chocolate, so I made you a bunch of different kinds!” he smiled and egged her try one, pleased by the warm hum she gave. “Oh! I almost forgot, I made dessert!” He scrambled to his feet and dashed back into the kitchen, calling for a pause so he wouldn’t miss anything. A brief moment later he emerged with six bowls teetering on his massive arms, kneeling down to disperse them amongst the others. “I made a sort of baked rice pudding.”

Each took a bowl and ignored the protest of their stomachs, no one willing to pass up an opportunity at a homemade dessert. The gift giving continued with a collared cardigan and wink from Raphael, which didn’t go entirely unnoticed by the others. Leo gave his present last, pulling out two small boxes and handing one to each girl.

As they pulled open the small boxes he explained his gift. “Omamoris are Japanese protection charms, we’ve kind of adopted the ‘Family Turtle’ as our own,” he said, watching them as they rubbed the metal turtle bracelet charms between their fingers. “I’ve broken many katana during my training, so I used scrap pieces for the turtles.”

April turned the turtle charm belly-up, smiling at the kanji for ‘family’ engraved into the metal.

Donnie hummed thoughtfully. “Symbolic _and_ clever.”

Katrin looked up as she slipped the charm along her wrist. “Why?”

“Well,” he began, “If an omamori breaks, that means it did its job. Leo breaks his katana all the time, so in effect, they’re kind of like his omamori. It’s like passing along protection that he knows will work.”

She smiled and fiddled with the charm, bowing faintly to the leader in thanks and respect, internally scoffing as April leaned over to hug him instead. Next they voted Mikey, knowing that it was the quickest way to cease his insistent begging, and both girls handed over their presents happily.

He juggled which to open first, finally deciding on Katrin’s and shamelessly laying into the festive paper, sticking the bow to the side of Raph’s head without thinking. Inside the box were two gifts, one a half-sized cookbook that Katrin made sure he didn’t already have, and the other was a hand carved chest filled with blank recipe cards. He smiled giddily and beamed at her. “Wow, Kat! How’d you know I was running out of space for my new recipes?”

Katrin smiled in return, shrugging playfully. “Well, as much time as I spend sniffing around the kitchen I tend to notice a few things~”

Next was April’s gift, and he was just as excited for the two new leather bound sketchbooks and set of traditional Japanese Zen brushes. The others groaned slightly, knowing that they’d soon be the product of their brother’s newest figure drawings. He flipped through the pages of the books, smelling the familiar scent of recycled paper and smiling with satisfaction.

Raph decided to volunteer next, wanting to just get the mess over with as he quietly took another bite of the rice pudding. He took April’s gift first, only peeking inside the box to keep the contents away from his brothers, knowing they would only question the personal implications of the rose and patchouli infused pillar candle despite them being quite obvious. He set it aside tenderly and watched as Katrin pulled a hefty box from around the back of the tree, sliding it along the cement in front of him.

“So, I promise no one told me, but this is from me and the sweet old lady that used to live a floor under us that moved out. She was getting rid of some things and I thought maybe you could put this to good use,” she explained, watching his face as he pulled open the box.

The thickly muscled and hulking turtle actually had to fight away a smile as he tangled his fingers into the depths of the rolled balls and skeins of yarn, finding a stack of knitting patterns nestled in the bottom.

Mikey and Donnie leaned over and grinned. “Aww, is there pink in there somewhere? Ooh! We could use a new throw quilt for the couch, too!”

With a terse growl he shoved Mikey away from the box and closed it, allowing a tiny grin to crack the corners of his lips. “Thanks, I appreciate it,” he said gruffly, setting the box behind him and staring at Donnie. “Alright compu-dork, your turn.”

The other middle brother rolled his eyes, graciously accepting April’s gift. “If you insist, bara-barian,” he replied, returning the light shove before the pseudo-matron could interject. He carefully and methodically unwrapped the gift, revealing a stack of labeled manila envelopes. The titles read things he didn’t understand until opening one up to reveal its contents. With a quick survey of the copied documents, he looked down at April. “I don’t understand… what is all this?”

April smiled bashfully and hunched slightly. “Well, now that we know Shredder is a threat and that there’s still a chance that the Foot have a store of mutagen, I thought my father’s research notes would be useful,” she offered, smiling at the look of disbelief on his face.

“But… why give them to me?”

She looked aside briefly, “If something were to go wrong, we’d probably all bet on you to fix it. Hopefully these might be able to help. Plus, I know you’ve been itching for a new project.”

He smiled back and accepted the sisterly hug, his cheeks tinting as Katrin made some mention of knocking it off. Setting aside April’s gift he smiled expectantly at the other girl, noting how her own cheeks dusted faintly as she eagerly handed over her gift. He opened it with the same level of articulation, though with a little more care than was necessary. Upon seeing the contents he shivered slightly and barely was able to contain the inhibited squeal of delight. “How did you managed to get one?” he asked, grinning happily at the Visual Basic and VBScript computer programming guide he held so preciously in his hands.

Katrin smiled proudly, knowing that she’d done damn good for the first time. “Well, the ladies at the bookstore _really_ like me, and they had an extra one just kinda lying around.”

Donnie placed the book gently on top of the stack of research papers, pulling the small girl in for a grateful hug. She tensed slightly at the notion of being affectionate in front of the others, but then again, hugs were hugs, and she rarely ever turned one down.

Then it was down to just Leo and Katrin, to which the leader politely said, “Ladies first.” So she obliged and set the three gifts before her, trying to keep size from influencing her decision on which to open first. However, the biggest was quickly pulled and she caught the excited grin on Donnie’s face.

With a moment’s hesitation, she took a quick bite of pudding before tearing into the paper, the warm sweetness giving her shivers. When she found the lid of the box she wiggled it off and stared in total amazement, squealing with a delighted “ _Holy shit_!” before pulling the custom headphones from the box and placing them over her ears happily. She grinned much like a Cheshire Cat, which only accentuated the feline ears that adorned her gift.

“I found a kickstarter project from Japan and decided that I could make them way cooler, so I did~” Donnie smiled contentedly at the other, glad to know that his gift had been well received.

Katrin beamed at him before her eyes popped open and she exclaimed suddenly, “Quick! Give me something to listen to!”

To this, Mikey answered, “Open mine next! The little square one! Open it open it open it!”

She set to undoing the neatly wrapped paper, looking around hastily for somewhere to stick the bow before opting to plop it on top of April’s head. Inside was a pair of mixed mini 8cm CDs with orange sharpie scrawled on the surfaces; ‘Mikey’s totally cool handmixed tunes’, labeled ‘numero uno’ and ‘numero dos’ respectively. Katrin whined a little, “I wanna listen to ‘em…”

To this Donnie held out a tentative hand, pointing once to both her headphones and the CDs, already pleased with his genius forethought. Once Katrin handed them over he demonstrated for her, popping open one side of the headphones to reveal a CD tray, placing one of the minis into the well, and closing it again. Then he flicked a switch and showed her where the play button was before giving them back.

She gave them a once over more carefully, making note of the buttons she’d missed, then curiously hit play. Music flowed from a pair of external speakers, and she finally realized, “ _This thing plays CDs and the cat ears are speakers holy shit this is amazing._ ”

“It only plays the 8cm minis, but they hold about twenty-four minutes each, so I figured that wasn’t too bad. And yes, now if anyone asks you what god awful noise you’re listening to you won’t even have to say anything.” His heart swelled at little at the positively exuberant smile she gave him in return.

Once she turned off the music she pulled the last gift into her lap, noting how it wasn’t nestled in a box. Upon easily ridding it of the paper, she nearly had to choke back the lump that formed so quickly in her throat. Her fingers rubbed at the soft fabric as she pulled one end through her hand, tracing the length until she found the other where four little turtles were embroidered along the edge, one in each color for each brother. Katrin doubled and wrapped the scarf around her neck, smiling teary eyed at Raphael as she bunched it warmly around her neck.

He silently nodded in return, acknowledging and accepting her thanks and affections without making it into much of a big deal, despite how the others ‘ooh’ed and ‘aww’ed and made little comments about his knitting.

Finally it was Leo’s turn to open his presents from the girls, which he did with grace and polite eagerness. First was April’s, the smaller of the two, only because she was his Hogosha and his inner child felt he must open hers before the other. Inside was a rather deep jewelry box, filled with a stack of little seed bags, each with the name and description of some flower written in Japanese kanji.

April looked up at him fondly, “I know how much you like growing flowers and things, and I found some that are native to Japan that weren’t trees.”

He smiled with a reserved giddiness, and went about opening the other present, already able to tell it was a book. Upon reading the title he tilted his head a little curiously and looked at Katrin.

“I know it says magic, but it’s got a lot of things in there about plant medicine and different healing properties for mind and spirit and I think some cooking recipes. So like, you could have the enjoyment of growing your plants _and_ using them. It’s brilliant,” she said matter-of-factly, smiling wider as Leo nodded in agreement and thumbed through, already looking intrigued enough to begin reading.

“Alright,” Mikey exclaimed, “It’s time for the next Hamato tradition, so grab your bowls and let’s move this into the living room!”

The other five followed him to the other room and went about getting comfortable on the pile of blankets and pillows that had been strewn about the floor for just the occasion. They sat in a rough circle, each snagging something to sit or lay on before nestling to get comfortable. When everyone had gotten situated Mikey cleared his throat and began to explain the rules and reasons for the tradition.

“Over the course of a year, we, as brothers, often argue, bicker, fight, tease, prank, and sometimes cross the line. However, we have to remind ourselves that we acknowledge each other’s faults and love each other despite what they may be, and this also counts as a sort of revenge. The rules are simple; we each take turns being the victim and the others play round robin, each recounting some embarrassing moment that happened during the year. As per usual, whoever got scolded my Master Splinter last goes first.” He grinned at the girls as they each donned a devilish grin.

The boys looked about and discussed amongst themselves to discern who had most recently been punished by their father, and it eventually came down to Leo. He sighed and looked away, waving a hand to begin the torture.

Raph certainly didn’t miss the opportunity to begin, “So I think we all remember the little fiasco Leo had with little miss sunshine a while back,” he began heartlessly, reveling in the fact that Leo wasn’t permitted to say anything as it would be against the rules. The others joined in with a jovial round of ‘OooooOOooohh~’ before he continued. “Yeah that’s right, we all saw it, Leo. We could hear it too, you guys were really goin’ at it. ‘s a shame she’s Daddy’s little girl,” he finished, smiling at the glare he received from Leo.

Donnie picked up the punishment and smirked “Oh, but we all know that doesn’t hold a candle to the time he was sent to the hashi for it when Master Splinter found out he was sneaking out to go see her,” he teased, still able to remember the way the old rat had yelled and scolded him so harshly in Japanese.

“Ooh ooh ooh!” Mikey grinned and had to fight down his laughter. “And he only found out because of that note Leo got from Karai that he left lying around the bedroom!”

At this the two girls scowled and leaned over to glare hotly at Leo.

Katrin’s look of bewilderment only helped to drive home her argument, “ _She’s in the Foot Clan_!”

Finally he groaned and raised his head. “I get it! I know she’s in the Foot Clan, can we move on?”

She gave him a more quizzical look, “What did the note say?”

The other brothers snickered quietly, Mikey desperately trying to remember the dirty details. “Basically,” he explained, “she wanted the D.”

Katrin whipped her head back to Leo. “ _Dude_. She is playin’ yo ass, you do not need to get mixed up her rice bowl,” she chided, offhandedly proud for the derogatory insult she managed to come up with.

Finally April stepped in and moved the Victim status to someone else, and it wasn’t much surprise that Leo picked Raph.

The massive turtle groaned and hunched his bulking shoulders, ducking his head as much as possible while Leo happily proceeded with the punishment.

“I may have gotten sent to the hashi, but you got public humiliation for being careless,” he said tartly, a smirk ghosting across his lips. April squinted at Leo in question and he explained, “Raphael was on his way out, and decided not to join us during a run-in with the Foot when we needed him to.”

At this the redhead stared with disappointment at the other, knowing he was aware of her gaze on him. But she refrained from scolding him in front of his brothers, and made a mental note to discuss it with him later.

“Ooh!” Mikey gasped, both remembering something to say and attempting to move along. “Then there was that one time we all got to call him names and shoot the little sticky arrows at him during training!” He laughed and Donnie soon joined in.

“I remember that, he couldn’t dodge a single one!” he snickered, reveling in being able to openly relive such a wonderful moment without fear of being hammered by his larger brother. “Although, there was also that one time we caught him outside hangin’ out with an actual turtle, and not to mention the countless times he’s helped baby sea turtles back into the water.”

The others ‘aww’ed and made cutesy faces at Raph as he tried desperately to further hang his head to hide the flushing of his cheeks.

Finally he looked up and glowered. “Yeah, go ahead, make fun of me for helpin’ baby turtles. Donnie, you’re next.”

The other blanched as he caught sight of Mikey’s face, knowing already what he was going to say, knowing that he’d save it for last. He pointedly looked at his lap and pretended that he didn’t see the kiddish grin as Katrin stole peeks at him.

Leo cleared his throat and smiled at the most easily openly embarrassed of his brothers, knowing that the torture would be that much greater because of Katrin’s presence. “Why don’t we start off with that little mistranslation you had with Sensei a few months ago.”

Katrin and April looked up eagerly for an explanation, smiling cheekily in anticipation.

“Well, Donnie and Sensei and I are really the only ones who bother to practice our Japanese, so we’ll have entire conversations with each other and sometimes he might teach us some new vocabulary or conjugations. Once he was making dinner since Mikey wasn’t feeling well and he asked what we wanted on our rice. Donnie _meant_ to say teriyaki beef,” he finished, his lips twitching as he fought down the laugh that was clenched in his throat.

The girls looked about, not entirely being able to guess with assuredness what Donnie had actually said, Katrin asking him for clarification.

Donnie sighed and buried his face in his hands with a groan, his answer only slightly muffled. “I accidentally used a derogatory term for dick.”

April’s eyes widened as Katrin bent over wheezing and cackling, tears wetting her lashes as she attempted to breathe and compose herself. Donnie frowned at the girl’s inhibited laughter, already quite embarrassed and just wanting to get the other two over with.

Raph smiled, ready to continue the torment as he met his brother’s eyes. “And how could we forget the time when Donnie plugged his laptop into the TV so we could watch a movie while he still had his porn folder open.”

Again Katrin was lost in a fit of howling laughter, shoving her face in a stray pillow to attempt to keep her volume manageable while she lost her shit alongside the other brothers. This time April audibly joined in, instantly feeling guilty for laughing at the sensitive turtle’s expense.

He grit his teeth and set his jaw, trying to force away the urge to run and hide in his lab. As the girl’s laughter died down, he caught sight of Mikey’s stare again, and his stomach felt as though it had bottomed out.

“But let’s not forget his confession,” Mikey began, getting the attention of the giggle ridden females. “Because all this time I thought I was eating _unfrosted pop-tarts_.”

Katrin immediately looked up, knowing that she was finally going to get an explanation for the pop-tart issue and her nickname.

“However,” he continued dramatically, “it turns out that Donnie had been _licking the icing off and putting them back in the box_. _Every. Morning._ ”

Realization dawned on Katrin and her eyebrows furrowed as she looked up at the suddenly serious brother. “So… my nickname has been an innuendo this whole time.”

Mikey smirked and nodded as Donnie desperately wished to be able to hide in his shell. “Yep, all because someone couldn’t just _eat_ the pop-tar-“

“ _MIKEY_.” Donnie’s eyes snapped to his brother’s with a disgusted horrified expression.

“What? … OH. OH SHIT BRAH. I DIDN’T MEAN THAT,” Mikey grimaced as Katrin stared back with wide eyes. “I GUESS IT’S KIND OF THE SAME INNUDENDO BUT I’M SORRY DON.”

Leo shook his head and sighed, “Well I guess we don’t even have to mention how hard Mikey tried to hit on that old lady thinking she was a model.”

The others let out a chorus of sniggers, Katrin pulling her phone out in the middle of it all to scroll through her pictures and videos, finding her blackmail video she had of April.

“Alright alright alright,” she said, holding a hand up. “So I think April and I are obligated to participate, and I got this great video.” She set it on a throw pillow and hit play as the others crowded around, April tilting her head in curiosity.

The video itself was just Katrin peeking into April’s bathroom, but over the audio April could be heard rapping along to her shower radio, Katrin snickering every few seconds as her roommate failed miserably in the middle of verses, mumbling just to keep her momentum going.

Mortification settled on April’s shoulders and she hastily tried to snatch the phone to delete the video, ending up having to fight Katrin for it and accidentally locking the screen. “When the hell did you record that!” she shrieked, her cheeks burning furiously.

Katrin smiled fiendishly and pocketed her phone, keeping silent at the other fumed while the others held their hands to their mouths and bit their lips.

“Fine,” April said, “Two can play this game.”

The other snickered and took the last spoonful of her pudding, making a slight face as she bit down into an almond. She chewed and swallowed, scrunching her face up. “Hey Mikey, I think you accidentally dropped an almond into the pudding.”

He gasped and smiled brightly, “Naw girl, that’s a Swedish tradition. You gon’ be married by next Christmas!”

April laughed at the other’s flushed faced. “Ha! Now I’ve got something to tease you about for a whole year~”

Their good natured fun lasted well into the night, the girls happily participating in the boys’ usual Christmas fun. Admittedly it wasn’t traditional, but that made it all the more fun, and the girls were just happy to be spending time with loved ones.


	17. 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I now have a new tumblr account specifically for my TMNT posts and for Tech Support. So if you'd like to send me asks or stalk me further, go find Donnies-Pop-Tart, I'll leave a link on my profile with my other sites.

As two in the morning came upon the family, April sighed and stretched along the blanket pile that had grown significantly as they had pulled in resources from around the house through the night. Everyone else watched her with that look of knowing what she was about to say, hanging their heads and frowning slightly.

“Come on guys, I’ve got a plane to catch in like, seven hours,” she groaned, raising to her feet and eyeing Katrin until she followed.

The others meandered slowly to the tunnel door, shuffling about to prolong their leaving as much as possible. April grabbed the two coats from the back of the couch, handing over Katrin’s as she slipped her own over her shoulders.

“It was really nice of you to spend Christmas with us,” Leo said, smiling gingerly at the two girls. “You know you’re both family, right?”

Katrin stiffened as her chest tightened, the air forced from her lungs as her throat closed and her eyes stung. Her head ducked and she stared at the floor, scolding herself as the tears gathered dangerously in the corners of her eyes. It was a sudden rush of emotion, one that she didn’t have a lot of experience with, and the silence that thickened as everyone watched with worry at her sudden change in mood exasperated any self control. She flung herself against Leo and it was all she could do not to sob as he wrapped both arms around her.

In the time that she’d spent with the Hamato family, they had come to know almost as much about her as there was to know, including her previous ‘family’ situation. It had upset Leo far more that he’d ever expressed, verbally or otherwise, Mikey was wrought with empathy, Raphael quietly brooded over the fact that someone as sweet as he thought her to be had grown up without one, and Donnie took it with grace while attempting to make her feel as much as home as possible, just as Splinter would.

So they all knew why she had gotten emotional, and also that it was a rare occasion that they’d probably never see again on the topic specifically. April quietly slipped through the door to wait for her roommate, feeling that she had no particular business in the affair and that Katrin would appreciate a private moment with them.

Suddenly, yet gently, she backed away and continued to stare at the ground, not wanting them to see her blotchy reddened face. Her voice was hoarse and she spoke around her sore throat and quivering gentle sobs. “I never really understood all those things people talked about, and sometimes when people would say ‘Mom and Dad’ it made me really angry because I thought it wasn’t fair. And sometimes I still cry at night when I think about all the things I never had because I grew up with people who used me for money. At first I hated them for sending me here, but if they hadn’t I never would have met any of you, and you’re all a way better family than I’ve heard other people talk about.”

In the following short silence the four boys smiled faintly, and in Mikey’s case, grew almost as teary eyed. But Raph was the only one to move, and he knelt down in front of her, put his gentle hands on her shoulders, and pulled her as close to him as he could. She shivered at the sudden dismission of the cool den air and bowed her head to rest on his massive shoulder. It didn’t last long, and Katrin knew it wouldn’t, but as he pulled away he looked at her fully before standing up.

“We love ya, pipsqueak, an’ ya know ya always be family,” he said, his heart swelling just a little as she nodded and tried to hide her face in the scarf he had made her.

The four of them walked the girls out, Raphael and Katrin hand in hand in a way that seemed mostly protective. The two drove off in the night, leaving the others to wave after them in the dark before they filed back down underground. As soon as the apartment door was unlocked they each made a beeline for their beds, Katrin muttering ‘have a safe trip’ before closing her bedroom door.

When Katrin woke up early the next morning it was just barely still dark outside and April had already left for the airport. She rolled out of bed and shuffled into the kitchen to make coffee, then curled up on the couch to watch the news until her cup was empty. She took a short nap, waking up again around eleven, and decided to get her day started. However, when she finished getting dressed after her shower she realized there wasn’t much _to_ do.

_Not around the house anyways_.

Having her own car gave her liberty to go out and do things even when April wasn’t home, and that was a joy she was excited to indulge in. She spent the rest of the morning in a little café that opened into the bookshop next door, pilfering through different sections while sipping at her cappuccino. She had lunch at her favorite downtown diner and decided to go see that movie that April wouldn’t take her to. She then made a quick stop at Wal-Mart for a stack of 8mm CDs before she made it back home and was again at a loss for what to do with her time.

There was no homework for her to do, no biweeklies to work on, no personal projects to tinker with. But she didn’t really want to leave the house anymore unattended than she already had, and very quickly wished she had some company. The idea of staying in an empty apartment for three nights was also not something she was fond of, and that alone quickly ignited her small shred of anxiety, which grew much faster than she appreciated.

It was partly against her better judgment, she just saw him last night. But something might happen to her while she was alone, burglars, or the Foot, or _aliens_. Sometimes she cursed the fact that she was a firm believer in extraterrestrial life, and knew that in the case of trying to sleep at night, ignorance would be bliss. That thought alone was enough to persuade her to attempt inviting company.

Pop-Tart: Hey uh… what’s goin on

Donnie: You know, you can just ask me for a favor, you don’t have to beat around the bush about it.

Pop-Tart: Well I thought that asking you how you were would be a nicer way to start

Donnie: I’m lovely, what can I do for you?

Pop-Tart: I hate to be a bother about it, and you know I wouldn’t ask unless it was important

Donnie: Of course. What is it?

Pop-Tart: You don’t have to if you don’t want to, and I’d hate to get you in trouble with Master Splinter…

Donnie: Ktrain. It can’t be so bad as to get me in trouble, I never go out of my way when it comes to you, and I know that you don’t ask unnecessary things of people. What is it.

Pop-Tart: I don’t wanna spend the night here by myself this place is creepy ;A;

Donnie: … that’s it? You’re afraid of the dark?

Pop-Tart: I’M NOT AFRAID OF THE DARK I’M AFRAID OF WHAT MIGHT BE IN THE DARK THERE’S A HUGE DIFFERENCE.

She sat curled up in the corner of one end of the couch with a crochet blanket pulled around her shoulders, scowling at the TV without paying much attention. It was a little while before she got a reply, nearly an hour, to which she knew Donnie had gone to confront Splinter about it.

Donnie: I’ll be there in approximately 22.47 minutes, leave the window open please.

Katrin waited for the twenty minute mark to unlatch their living room window, just in case something were to try and get in before he got there. She was in the middle of a newly released horror flick when he slipped through from outside, causing her to screech and scramble wildly for something to arm herself with before her brain kicked itself into gear.

He sauntered over with his arms folded and a look of amusement on his face. “I’m sorry, I must’ve forgotten to turn off my ninja.”

She glared at him before pointedly turning her face away. “I was just startled,” she insisted, peeking at him out of the corner of her eye.

As Donnie went about making himself comfortable, shedding his usual layers and folding them to sit on the extra chair like he always did, he offered a snide remark, “Oh, well then God forbid I actually scare you, wouldn’t want to wake up half of New York state. I’ll just be more careful next time~” He smirked as she puffed out her cheeks, then moved to sit comfortably with her until the movie was over.

When the credits rolled Donnie offered to fish into April’s secret store of hot chocolate, where he received an eager nod from the little girl still wrapped in her blanket. He obliged, using milk over water and throwing a pinch of cinnamon over the marshmallows, even treating her to a handful of golden Oreos.

“So, what took you so long to reply? Did Master Splinter say no?” Katrin looked up from her mug and peered at him for a short moment before continuing to scour Netflix for something else to watch.

He shook his head mid sip and licked the cream from under his nose. “No, he just wanted to have a winded conversation first before telling me that it would probably be a good idea to just hang around until April got back, that way you wouldn’t be alone.”

She scoffed and settled for reruns of ‘Girl Talk’, knowing that Donnie was into that sort of thing. “Oh? And what did you guys have such a lengthy conversation about?”

At this Donnie reddened and tried to swig at his hot chocolate for as long as he could before his tongue felt as though it were on fire. “Well, he’s already had this discussion with Raph. Hell, _I’ve_ practically had this discussion with Raph…” His mind wandered absently for a moment, taking him back to that painfully awkward talk they had not too long ago.

_He’d been in his lab most of the day, researching primarily, and had become irritated with the topic quite early on. He knew that theoretically it was probable, and that apparently Raphael had managed to make it work, but for whatever reason, he just wasn’t satisfied. He was sure he was missing something, because there was still part of his brain that was eating at his nerves, that wouldn’t leave him alone, and something told him that no amount of reading would fix it._

_So, deciding that he’d rather not wait around unarmed with what could be valuable information, he sought out his brother. At first it took a little getting used to for all of them, only because he was the most aggressive and hot tempered out of all of them, but that also kindled a hope that they otherwise might not have held so dearly onto. If Raph could find someone to love him, then so could his brothers, dammit._

_And in this regard Donnie needed advice. Raphael was the only one to have experience with this, and as much as they both hated talking openly about the topic, Donnie simply couldn’t stand not trying. So he shuffled into the rec room, spying his brother in the middle of the floor engaged in his push-up routine._

_There was a silence that lingered before the larger of the two became annoyed with the other’s staring. “Ya need somethin’?” His tone was gruff as always, which was easily ignored._

_“Um,” Donnie began, aware that his loitering would soon short out Raph’s temper. “I wanted to ask you something.”_

_Raph only grunted for him to continue._

_“Well… it’s personal…” he stammered, picking a spot to sit down before he lost his resolve and left._

_Normally Raphael would dismiss his brother with declaring his annoyance, but simply because he knew Katrin was a variable that Donnie very seriously always took into account nowadays, he knew the question to be a genuine one and decided that this was an appropriate time to lend the other some help rather than shoving him aside and stepping over his feelings._

_“Aw come on, you guys didn’t fight already, did ya?” As good natured as it was, Raph still had to throw in a little teasing, it was typical between them as middle siblings._

_Donnie hunched his shoulders and shook his head, folding his hands in his lap. “No, nothing happened, I just… I want your advice on something.”_

_Here Raph shifted on his feet uncomfortably, and it had nothing to do with the subject at hand, but more along the lines of hoping he would actually be helpful. “On what?”_

_It took a great deal more courage than he had originally anticipated to actually voice his question, but Donnie eventually just let it out as objectively as he could manage. “How did you know that April loved you?”_

_It certainly didn’t come as a surprise to Raphael, he knew how much of a formerly hopeless romantic his brother was, and so it became one of those rare moments where the usually silent turtle was open with the other. “You know, she said it to me over an’ over an’ over again, an’ I still didn’t believe her,” he said, sitting cross legged and sliding his sai through his belt. “But ya know how I get, it took a lot of convincing. You an’ I are pretty different, Don, but I do know that one thing is the same for everybody. You’ll know. Maybe it won’t be obvious at first, but you’ll know when she loves ya.”_

_It wasn’t quite the answer he wanted, but he certainly wasn’t in a position to complain. He’d take what he could get graciously and without argument. And he supposed Raph was right anyways, especially since love was an emotion and couldn’t otherwise be measured or accounted for. But then another thought crossed him mind, equally as important, and far,_ far _more embarrassing._

_Raphael could tell by the faint tint of Donnie’s cheeks that something else had come to his mind, and already having a good idea of what it was, he allowed the smirk to settle firmly on his lips. “Somethin’ else botherin’ ya there, Don?”_

_Donatello set his jaw and looked away, ashamed at how much of an open book he could be sometimes. At least now he didn’t have to give his brother any details in order for him to better understand the question. “I guess…”_

_“Well, let’s have it.”_

_The lanky turtle squirmed where he sat and failed to ignore the shiver that crept along the inside of his shell. “How do you know when it’s okay to… you know… Like should I wait until she says it or am I supposed to initiate everything?”_

_Here the other laughed, heartily and without restraint. It wasn’t crippling laughter, that wasn’t his style, but it was genuine. He really couldn’t help himself, Donnie could be so arrogant sometimes and that was always worth a good laugh.  “Don, listen,” he tried, making sure he was calm before continuing. “That’s not something you can afford to worry this much about. It’ll happen when it happens, and it doesn’t matter who starts it. Whatever you an’ Kat goin’ on is totally up to you two, but I will say this.” He moved over to his brother and put his hands on his shoulders. “When it does happen, do_ not _let your stupid ass second guess it. Don’t do it. You’ll hate yourself for it.”_

_Donnie nodded and smiled awkwardly, biting his lip as Raph stepped away with a few good pats on his shoulders. He turned to leave and was nearly to the hall when he was stopped._

_“Hey Don! Just remember one thing, be careful about where you stick that thing, there’s-“_

_“Thanks Raph,” he called, abruptly leaving the room for fear of his brother giving him any details he wasn’t prepared for._

He was jolted from his memory by the faint sensation of his glasses leaving his face, blinking rapidly as he realized they were already gone. “Hey, gimme those,” he whined, squinting to try and find Katrin.

She snurked and fit them on her face, holding her phone out as she made a face, making sure to get his annoyed expression in the background. She smiled as Donnie groaned at the noise her phone made as it took multiple pictures, handing his glasses over so she could swipe through her gallery. When she found one she liked she sent it to April and all four boys, captioning the image with ‘I want this to be my contact pic on all your phones’.

Donnie obediently did as she requested, slightly shaking his head as he saw the responses in the group chat. “Are you trying to get them to make fun of me?” he asked, looking at her sideways as she replied to them.

Katrin smiled at April’s message, who had sent a rather lengthy ‘don’t do anything I wouldn’t do’, to which she replied with ‘well then my possibilities are endless aren’t they?’. “No,” she finally replied, “And if they do I can just make fun of them back.”

The roll of his eyes he aiming for was interrupted by a mighty yawn, which was a little surprising considering it was only nearly midnight. He caught the look of suspicion Katrin gave him, and ducked his head ever so slightly in that way he did when he was guilty.

“You were up all day with your nose in that book weren’t you?”

Donnie groaned at being found out so easily, deciding that anything other than an admitting nod would be cause for either further teasing or some sort of scolding.

She sighed with a smile, moving to get up and head to the hall closet. “Well, I guess it is kinda late, and I need to set up your bed anyways,” she said offhandedly, pulling the double doors open to shuffle around inside.

He sauntered up beside her to help, saying that he could just as well sleep on the couch and that there was no need for her to bother. But she insisted quite inarguably, so he humored her and happily draped any bedding he was handed over his arms, then took them to her room as instructed. She followed close behind with a large blue kiddie pool, rolling it through her door on its side.

“Oh come on, that’s not really-“

“Shush.” Katrin carefully set it down in the middle of her room, not leaving hardly any walking space except from it to the door. She methodically placed and arranged mattress liners, comforters, sheets, and pillows to her satisfaction until she’d fashioned a temporary turtle nest.

They exchanged glances before Donnie decided to see if it was up to the Hamato standard, flopping into the mess of blankets before shifting and rolling over, pleased at having more than a few position options for sleeping comfortably. “Whose idea was this anyways?”

“April’s mostly, beats sleepin’ on the couch, right?” she said, folding her arms proudly.

Donnie only nodded in approval, making no other indication of getting up or otherwise moving at all. So Katrin spent a few minutes going over April’s list of things to do before bed, making sure the apartment was locked up and settled before returning to her bedroom to change.

She opted for something that was easily removed, knowing that there was a good chance that the extra body heat may very well cause her to unconsciously attempt to undress later. Plus they were alone in the apartment all by themselves, so of course that insinuated the possibility for other things. But that was up to Donnie, and she had already promised herself that she wouldn’t do anything to push.

So she crawled into the nest and burrowed under the blankets, shivering as the cold air left her skin. She found a pillow she liked and shoved it up near Donnie’s head, lifting his arm to weasel underneath so that she was adequately snuggled against him for warmth. He snickered and rolled off his stomach, folding and placing his glasses on the carpet and out of harm’s way.

For a few moments Donnie indulged with tucking her head under his chin and burying his face in her hair. She happily curled into him, her free hand wrapping under his shoulder so she could draw patterns in the texture of his skin. It was comfortable for a few moments, but when he sighed heavily and faintly clutched her, she knew something was probably bothering him.

“Donnie,” she said softly, pulling away enough to look at him in the dim light. “What’s wrong, why are you moping?”

He grumbled about not doing such things and averted his eyes, a hint of shame and apprehension ghosting across his face.

Katrin, however, knew he was in fact moping, and usually wouldn’t settle for what she called childish behavior. “Seriously, what’s the matter,” she pushed gently, knowing he was more responsive when she _didn’t_ try to be assertive.

His shoulders rolled as he shifted around, his eyes still searching elsewhere as his brain frantically dug around for some way to keep the situation from getting awkward. Within a few shorts seconds he came to realize that it was pointless to put any more thought into it, and there simply was no getting around his awkward nature. “I just… there’s something I feel like I should tell you,” he replied quietly.

She tilted her head into the pillows and slid her hand to rest on his as he traced circles under her jaw with his thumb. “Well it seems to be upsetting you,” she pointed out, taking baby steps where she could.

He groaned and shifted again, knowing he was being childish and letting his nerves get in his way. “Only because maybe it’s too soon to say anything?” The implied question was meant to partially inquire her own opinion, but also to illustrate his unsureness.

To this she laughed and smirked, shaking her head just enough for him to notice. “You know me better than that, and you know I don’t like dragging things out,” she reassured, smiling in response to his.

For a moment he just watched as the city lights that softly illuminated the room twinkled in her eyes. He felt just as captivated as he did when he saw her gaze in awe at the stars only two weeks prior. And somehow, he was able to accept that even in such a short amount of time, he had hopelessly fallen for her. It burned warmly in his chest and set his tongue on fire as it poured through his lips, “I love you.”

It was an automatic response for her to reply, and she accepted that there was no hesitation, trusting that she meant it just as fiercely as he did. She leaned in and allowed him to close the space between them, the gentle kiss swiftly escalating into something much more passionate.

For the better part of an hour they were nothing more than a heated mess of tangled limbs and breathy moans. It never got quite past heavy petting, as Donnie still wanted to give it at least a little bit of time, but he happily acquainted his hands with Katrin’s body as she squirmed and writhed happily beneath him. Soon they slowed back to feathered kisses before dreariness pulled them both under, where they slept happily with their fingers intertwined.


	18. 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: The entire second half of this is NSFW. Straight up porn. Happy reading~

Katrin tapped her foot impatiently, pursing her lips at the nervous and sulking turtle sitting at the kitchen barstool, sipping quietly at his cup of coffee. They looked at each other, she keeping a steady look of expectancy, he darting his eyes up every few seconds as his brain worked through a response that might get the point across where a simple ‘no’ had not. It was a silent and even debate, each not giving up or gaining ground.

“I don’t know how else to say no, other than in various dialects that you won’t understand,” he said finally, breaking the streak of silence.

Her gaze did not falter and she replied with an even tone, “Well I’m sorry, but you’re going. I am _not_ leaving you here by yourself.”

Perhaps Donnie would’ve argued, had he not already understood the general anxiety of leaving someone in your living space without supervision for an unknown period of time. Of course he was no Mikey, and would probably have the apartment in better condition by the time she got back, but that wouldn’t lessen the strain it would put on her. However, going out, not only in broad daylight, but somewhere where he’d be interacting with a human was not on his list of things to do for the day. “You can’t expect her to understand, she’s a human.”

“She’s my _friend_. And you guys met at Halloween, she already knows you.”

Here he scoffed, laughed almost, at what Katrin was implying. “Yeah, when she was _drunk_.”

Katrin knew this wasn’t going to go anywhere before she had to leave for the studio, as Mrs. Gudera had requested that they record some of their sets while the place was empty so they could do some promoting for their spring classes. Also, their regular tech guy that did the recordings was gone, and Katrin had automatically offered up Donnie without asking. But she knew the woman well, they were really good friends, and Mrs. G was one of the most accepting and loving people she’d ever met. Which is why she sent her the selfie she took last night.

And Donnie knew, he had been around her long enough to more or less figure out how her train of thought worked. But he said nothing and continued to nurse his coffee, trying to keep his eyes either down or somewhere in the kitchen.

The girl smiled as her phone sounded obnoxiously with her notification tone, and read the response message from her studio mate with an accent to match. “Quote, ‘he’s still looks like a halagüeño boy to me, bring him over Gato, you know I like ‘em en la onda~’.” She again pursed her lips and stared at him, knowing at this point she’d practically won.

Donnie furrowed his brow in confusion, not entirely understanding the Spanish bits. Though, he couldn’t further argue that Mrs. Gudera would not approve of him based on his looks. “You’re sure she’s not drunk?”

Katrin dropped the hand that was rested on her hip. “It’s not even noon yet, she ain’t that big of a drinker. Besides, our guy’s out, and we don’t know how to use the TriCaster.”

He narrowed his eyes slightly, pulling his mug away from his lips. “Why are you using a TriCaster? All that thing does is make people’s lives miserable.”

“Hence why we need your expertise,” she retorted, smiling cheekily as he sighed in defeat. She packed quickly and led him out the door, locking up before heading to her car.

She drove to the edge of town, catching glimpses of him scaling the rooftops every few minutes as he barely kept pace. But he knew where he was going, and was somehow able to beat her to the back parking lot, where she pulled in by her coach’s sporty mom van. Donnie perched on the half wall that laid out the parameter of the lot, checking to make sure he was out of eyesight from the road.

“Oh come on, you got this far,” Katrin encouraged, pulling him to the ground and through the back entrance. “Hola qué pasa~” she called as the door closed behind them, hearing the faint music in the studio room.

The sound of bare feet against marley echoed until the owner entered the back room, greeting them both with a warm smile. She hugged Katrin first before moving to stand in front of Donnie, looking him up and down with a smirk on her face.

“Lo hiciste bien, Gato,” she chimed proudly, nodding in approval.

Donnie looked around nervously, resisting the urge to twiddle his thumbs. “This is awkward…”

“Why?” the woman asked, her Puerto Rican accent thick and natural. “You think I’m gonna go running away from a turtle? Boy you loco, I got like two pet turtles at home, I am _chill_. Besides, Kat won’t shut up about you while she’s here so it’s not like I don’t know,” she explained, turning and calling for him to follow as she explained their technological setback.

Katrin went about changing into her warm up cargos and tee, slipping into a worn pair of street shoes before laying out her performance clothes and joining the two in the studio room. Donnie was working loathingly on what he kept referring to as ‘the bane of all technology’, but managed to get the thing working and ready to use.

The next half hour was spent warming up and testing the recording feeds, making sure that the playback was synced up and actually exported. Then the girls ran a handful of routines, basic styles of hip hop and a little bit of break work, changing into appropriate outfits in between, before taking a break. Donnie played back a few sets to make sure they had recorded the way he wanted them to and looked clean, double checking that they had the girls’ approval.

“What do you think, Gato? One more?” asked Mrs. G, sitting on the floor with a handful of almonds. “I’m thinkin’ one more~”

Katrin huffed with a smile, bending at the waist with her legs in butterfly position, stretching her back as far as she could. “I think I can do one more, what’d you have in mind?”

The other smiled, a glint of mischief in her eye. “Go put on your heels and I’ll get your boy to move us into the other room.”

Instantly Kat was rolling over and grabbing after her coach’s feet, whining and refusing to do as she was asked. “But Mrs. G, I don’t wanna do that one,” she groaned, pouting at the marley.

“Of course you do, I know how much you like to show off your butt. Besides, you’re really good at this one, and I know you’re friend would appreciate~” The woman waved a hand and disappeared into the back, leaving Katrin to mope and reluctantly change for the last set.

Part of her she knew was going to be a little humiliated, but then again she _was_ particularly good with this piece, even in six inch heels. And having him gawk at her rather than the other way around would be a nice change.

So she stripped her clothes and laced her boots, waiting by the doorway until the music started so she could strut in. “Do I really have to do this?” She called one final time, almost wanting to wiggle her way out of doing the routine as a duet.

“Yes! Now get your bubble butt out here, and don’t forget to go all out, Gato! You’re supposed to be _sexy_!”

It didn’t much show through her pouted lips or the way she strutted to the front of the room, clad in no more than a bathing suit’s worth of Spanx. But her stomach rolled a little as she dipped and swayed, training on her reflection. As the verse hit she visibly relaxed, much more comfortable with the hip hop sets, but eventually her confidence leaked into the rest of the pole routine.

Frankly Donnie stared. Not directly, but he watched the recording very intently, keeping his expression level and his hands steady. But _damn_. He already knew she was an amazing dancer, that was her thing, but pole dancing is so vastly different, and he never would have thought that her personality type would openly entertain the idea, much less participate. He’d certainly ask her about it later.

But there she was, spinning and twerking like she’d been doing it for years. Maybe that was just how she treated dance as a whole, because she _was_ very serious about it, and regardless of style or type, she put the same amount of effort into all facets of something she was passionate about. So he quietly ravaged her with his eyes as subtly as he could, forcing his breathing to stay even as she very suggestively rolled her body.

Though, there were a few times where he became genuinely impressed with the tricks she performed, which made him question just how long she’d been doing it. Otherwise she was shameless eyecandy that he was happy to indulge in, until she finished by dropping a good six feet and barely catching herself before she hit the ground.

He looked up and stared after he stopped the recording, his eyes darting back and forth between them. “I thought you were going to _break_ something.”

Katrin laughed and casually spun in circles around her pole. “Nah, I’ve had a few close calls, but so far no disasters,” she replied, sliding to the ground to rest her arms and legs.

The other woman slid her heels off and set them by the mirror, looking at Donnie with a smirk on her lips. “So Genio, what’chu think, huh?”

Donnie looked up and replayed her question in his head, unable to get past the insinuation enough to give a reply. He only stuttered and tensed as he felt his face heat up, caught in an awkward position between saying the wrong thing and being rude by not saying anything at all.

“Aww, Gato, he’s speechless! I told you you was sexy, but you didn’t listen to me,” she chided, smiling as the other rolled her eyes and ducked her head. For a short moment her smile widened as she looked at the two of them. “Mmm, chica, you gonna get _laid tonight_.”

“ _G!_ ” Kat screeched, a look of mortification settling on her features that she emphasized by slapping her hands against the marley.

Mrs. G turned back to fully face them, her eyebrows furrowing. “How would that even work, though, is it like-?”

“ _Shut up! You cannot say these things out loud to people! Holy shit._ ”

“But I’m just asking-“

“No.”

“Oh come on-”

“No.”

The Latino pouted until Katrin drug out of the room so they could change, where she continued with her attempts at digging for information. Once Katrin was changed she met Donnie in the back where they had come in, setting the USB with the videos on the office desk before giving a goodbye as she was already headed out the door.

When they got back to the apartment Katrin began stripping her sweaty clothes as soon as the door was locked, tiredly slinking into the bathroom for a hot shower. When she emerged, wearing nothing but a hoodie over a lacey bikini cut pair of panties, Donnie had already made lunch.  He sat cross legged at one end of the couch, patting the cushion next to him as she trudged over, eyeing the little chicken pot pie oozing gravy all over the plate that sat on the table next to him. She immediately sat down, then leaned over him to grab her plate, reaching her arm to snatch her fork. This had pulled her hoodie up over her butt, showing off just how much of her skin the fabric _didn’t_ cover.

Donnie swallowed and tried in vain keep his eyes averted, especially since a small cruel part of himself just wanted to slap her and see if she’d squeal and fall over. But he settled for simply resting his free hand against her skin, his stone faced expression not faltering even as she paused in abrupt surprise.

“Um, is that totally one hundred percent necessary?” she asked playfully, already digging into her pot pie.

“Well it’s right in my face, what do you want me to do about it?”

“I dunno, have a little self control maybe?”

“Impossible.”

“Oh for fucks sake,” she sighed, though entirely content to eat right where she was. She finished off her lunch fairly quickly and set her plate back down to move, stifling a giggle when she found that her butt was still being held hostage. “I uh, think you should be set now.”

“Nah. I’m good.” At this point he was just as much invested in her as he was the show he found, and didn’t quite want to give up the softness under his fingertips.

She shook her head with a smile he couldn’t see. “Would you like a picture to keep for posterity?”

It was a shitty joke that he knew hadn’t been on purpose but he still couldn’t help the wheezing laugh that escaped through his mouth, biting his lip as he fought against the snort he could fell threatening the back of his throat.

Katrin pushed herself back into a sitting position while he was distracted, scowling at how she hadn’t seen that one coming. She waited until he had calmed himself before saying anything, “You know I didn’t fucking mean it-“

“It was still funny.”

“And you’re a shit for laughing.” However, the glare she attempted to give him was lost as she curled up and nestled under his arm, where she stayed comfortably as they mindlessly stared at the television.

Eventually, as the evening set in, they had moved to a more cuddle-conducive position where Katrin was nestled warmly underneath the other. She had been gliding her fingertips along his sides, often dipping her fingers under the hem of his shorts as casually as she could. But soon everything just became background noise and they were only interested in each other.

She had accidentally grazed his skin with her fingernails when he shifted and he’d hitched his breath fairly noticeably. Of course she took this as an invitation to do it again, and was rewarded with the same sweet sound of his heavy breathing and a slight roll of his hips. At first he hesitated on whether or not he wanted to really allow the moment to go anywhere farther, but as she faintly met his hips with her own he tossed his glasses aside and hungrily found her lips, hitching her leg over his waist.

Katrin sighed and draped her arms around his neck, moving her mouth tentatively with his and opening when prompted. She fully accepted and welcomed the vaguely aggressive attention, responding eagerly to the ministrations of his hands. He traced his fingertips along the back of her legs, smiling into her lips as she tensed and clutched at his shoulders.

Their somewhat gentle bout of heated release of tension only continued for a short while longer before Donnie pulled away reluctantly to search her features, hoping to find a silent answer written in her eyes. The words of his brother began to echo in his ears softly and in repetition, ‘ _You’ll hate yourself later’_. He couldn’t find anything about her that had any trace of apprehension or unsureness. Just total comfort and openness to allow him to take things as far as he desired.

Donnie carefully lifted her from her resting position and carried her to the bedroom, closing the door behind him. They picked up right where they had left off, Katrin allowing him to pull her hoodie off and toss it into the darkness, trailing his fingers over her skin as he did. She shivered and rose up on her knees, pulling him down to continue their kiss before running her hands over his shoulders and down his sides, pulling them to the front as she reached his hips.

She was softly pushed onto her back, Donnie following close behind to keep their kiss fluid and constant. He rolled his hips into her hands as she rubbed circles along the crease of his naval, slowly inching away his shorts before he slipped them off for her.

Truthfully he was beyond nervous underneath all of the adrenaline and testosterone, but the latter two hormones were currently raging through his blood so fiercely that he simply was unable to stop. He craved some part of her so _badly_ and yet didn’t know quite what it was, but he was confident that his insatiable need would guide him.

Before he gave himself enough time to hesitate he hooked his fingers around her bikini bottoms and slid them along her legs, tossing them, too, aside and into the dark corners of the bedroom. He placed kisses along her jaw and down her neck, nipping with gentle flicks of his tongue as he continued downwards. Katrin arched as Donnie wound an arm underneath her, clutching at the blankets as he traced his tongue around one of her flushed nipples, kneading and teasing the bud between his lips and teeth. When he had been sweetly attentive to both he picked up his trail of kisses, running his hands over as much skin as he possibly could, his hands settling to her tantalizingly round butt as he hovered for a cruel second between her legs.

It was so very faint, and he had nearly missed it, but Katrin’s body had tensed briefly, for a fraction of a second in anticipation, before relaxing again and shuddering eagerly. As simple as it was, it had shattered and dissolved any traces left of trepidation that Donnie might still have had, and he continued, even as an enveloping warmth settled over his skin.

She was slick against his tongue and he sighed into her skin, inhaling as much of her as his lungs would allow. Her hips twitched as he tested her, curious to see how she would respond if he started off with being slow and gentle. While it gave him time to find her sweet spots she definitely was showing and occasionally voicing her impatience. As she tilted her flesh against his tongue he finally obliged with a slightly rougher barrage of attention. Katrin whined breathily, her muscles trembling as the other suckled carefully on the little bud of nerves that sent sparks through her body.

Then, just as it began to get sweeter, he stopped and pulled away. His eyes darted up to meet hers as he moved over her, watching her own flicker with frustration and curiosity all at the same time as he bent down to kiss her. She melted against the pillows, vaguely wondering if it was over even as his free hand hovered in place of his tongue. Her hand trailed up and around his neck to pull him closer, leaning into him as he nestled against her.

The feeling was a little sudden, but she arched against his chest and sighed as he plunged gently yet purposefully inside. Her hips rolled languidly against the palm of his hand, her skin prickling as he tested how far he could go. Within the first few curious thrusts he’d found a rhythm and a most delicious angle that elicited such encouraging whines. Donatello wasn’t particularly practiced in such things, but with every whispered cry Katrin gave him he seemed to act as though he knew exactly what he was doing.

Her body clenched and quivered with her trembling voice that was nearly lost in the hungry kisses she rose up to meet. Electricity bit through her muscles as sweet release washed over her writhing body, but the feeling was short lived, tender as it was, and she eagerly pleaded for something more.

Donnie moved again, sliding between her legs and wrapping his arms under her shoulders, smiling with a shudder as she pressed her hands against his hips, trying desperately to pull him flush against her. He dipped his hips and pressed gently into her warmth, the slip of her hands between his legs sending shivers across his shoulders. But the hesitation wasn’t there, and he relaxed in anticipation for her touch, the twitch of his tail flushing his cheeks.

His breath hitched as her fingertips brushed against him gingerly, curiously tracing along the underside and around the tip. He nipped along her neck and collarbone, muffling a moan in her hair as her hands grew bolder, feeling for and teasing as many sensitive spots as she could. Soon he had been reduced to a quivering and heavily breathing mess, pressing wantonly against her hands. But he knew it was only prolonging what he hoped she still wanted, and he couldn’t last forever. And as much as he just wanted to indulge and _take_ her, he knew that pushing too far too fast would ruin what they’d taken so much time to build up. So he simply pulled carefully away, finding the familiar glint in her eyes to catch her attention.

He didn’t have to say anything out loud to get his concern across, she knew him better than that, and he should’ve known that she wouldn’t have responded with anything other than a kiss. It wasn’t particularly deep or passionate, but it was unmistakably reassuring and that was all he needed to bring the fire back to life.

At first it was agonizingly slow, but only because it needed to be. Katrin had cried at the first couple of inches and that was enough to still Donnie completely. He knew he hadn’t really hurt her, just found where the natural give stopped. But he welcomed being patient if it meant that she’d be comfortable, so he waited until he felt her relax around him before sliding in any farther, letting her take him an inch at a time. Before long he was able to roll hips into her, and as good as it felt, he still refrained from giving in and falling into his own bliss.

She groaned as he pulled out slowly, shivering as he did, and watched for any signs of discomfort as he carefully slid all the way back in, clutching at the blankets as he nearly bucked his hips. Though he was able to pull out and push back in again without any problems, and that alone impressed him to no end. He leaned over to kiss her again, letting her tongue swirl over his as her hands trailed down, teasing him with light scratches and her roaming fingers. And then he gave up trying to be overly careful. She just felt so _damn good_.

Donnie tried to be gentle, tried keep his pace even, tried to be as attentive as possible, but the way she moaned and cried and pulled in vain to get him to go deeper, faster, _harder_ just tore at his resolve and he simply couldn’t take it. His pace faltered when his thrusts couldn’t keep up with his desires and he reveled in the way she sometimes tried to tilt up and meet his hips sooner, to drive him deeper. He wasn’t quite relentless, keeping his instincts as much at bay as he could, but he let slip a growl once or twice and couldn’t help clamping his teeth gently over her collarbone, though not leaving a mark.

It was rough and sweet and passionate, and they fought to keep it going for as long as they could. But eventually he could feel her clenching rhythmically around him and that only sped up the inevitable. It didn’t keep him from willing it away, though failing as he knew he would, and so he made a point to enjoy that last few good thrusts he could manage, her voice calling his name ringing in his ears and sending him over. He muffled the instinctual churr into her skin as he trembled, pulling her close against his chest and hips until the heat rolled off and he suddenly felt a little cold.

Katrin shuddered at the sudden rush of warmth below her stomach, but otherwise didn’t think much of it, only sighing when he left her empty again. She listened to him breathe shakily for a minute, rubbing his shoulders as she waited for him to relax and come off his high. When he slowly evened his breathing and was able to raise his head enough to look at her face he couldn’t help but smile at her flushed cheeks.

“I love you,” he whispered, peppering her jaw with soft kisses as she curled comfortably against him.

She found one of the larger blankets bundled off to the side and pulled over the two of them, snuggling into his arms as she returned the smile, her eyes happily heavy. “I love you too.”


	19. 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is also highly nsfw, but will be the last for a little bit at least.

The sun had inched above the skyline by the time Donatello woke, squinting at the harsh rays of light that filtered into the room, illuminating the flecks of dust that danced about in the air. He ached all over, but it wasn’t the usual agonizing kind that he was used to, the kind you get from hours of training or punishment in the hashi because you nearly broke your brother’s nose for saying something stupid on one of your off days. No, this was a little sweeter, not bone deep and relentless.

He rolled over and opened his eyes again, looking around the room. It was empty and he was alone, save for a little handwritten note nestled amongst the pillows, slightly crumpled.

_Donnie_

_I’m sorry I probably won’t be here when you wake up, the boss called and demanded that I come in, but he knows I’m on leave so I won’t be gone long._

_Kat_

A smile crept over his lips as he remembered parts of the night before, his body warming at the thought. He sat up and shook his aching muscles, then located his discarded shorts and left the room, intending to get coffee when he heard a voice in the living room. He methodically reknotted his mask as he shuffled down the hall, peering curiously at the girl sitting on the couch, wrapped in a hoodie with a lacy pair of boyshorts peeking from under her butt as she shifted.

Her fingers gently worked the fabric as she cleaned his glasses, seeming to be having some sort of tense conversation with someone on the phone. She didn’t seem particularly upset, but she certainly wasn’t exactly happy either, just inconvenienced mostly. When she saw Donnie she smiled, leaning into him as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, prying his glasses from her fingers.

“Look, he didn’t really give me a whole lot to go by, we don’t even have to get started until you get back. I just wanted to let you know what he said,” she explained, a slight tone of irritation in her voice.

Donnie slipped into the kitchen and found his favorite mug nestled in the back of the cabinet, filling it modestly with steaming hot comfort.

“You know we’ve got to make a decision on that, we’ve only got two more of those before we have to pick one way or the other. This could be their only chance, April, we can’t turn it down. I’d get kicked out of the program if I said no, and you’d get fired again.” This time Katrin sighed impatiently, not enjoying the early morning argument. For a brief moment she was silent, then huffed. “Yeah, he’s here,” she drawled, jabbing the phone in Donnie’s general direction. “She wants to talk to you.”

He scowled curiously before answering the summons. “Hey April,” he said cheerily, finding a spot to sit down and enjoy his coffee. “Gee, good morning to you too,” he mumbled sarcastically upon the accusation of usually being grouchy in the mornings. “Pardon me for being in a good mood,” he continued, hearing the tone in her voice that he knew signaled her ‘I bet I know why’ statement. She was suspiciously silent for a moment before implicating her hypothesis on his unusually positive demeanor. Thankfully he’d already set the mug down because he nearly ended up choking on what was still in his mouth. “I’m sorry, did you want to talk about something important?... That is _none_ of your business… Seriously, I-…” He pulled the cell away to glare at it, then promptly ended the call.

Katrin looked up in amazement, a half smirk tugging at her open mouth. “Did you just hang up on her?”

“She was probing for answers to questions she had no business asking,” he said tartly, smiling as he handed over the loudly ringing phone from an undoubtedly appalled April.

“Oh my God,” she whispered, answering her roommate and putting her on speaker. “Yes?”

_“Did he hang up on me!? He hung up on me didn’t he!”_

The two snickered quietly to themselves before Donnie picked up the conversation. “Of course I didn’t, that would be against my chivalrous nature.”

April scoffed over the phone, _“Oh yeah? Were you being chivalrous last night when you were shoving your dick in your girlfriend!?”_

Katrin made a motion of thinking it over and replying, “Yeah, I’d say so.”

_“Jesus Christ you guys are disgusting!”_

Donnie rolled his eyes and drug his hand across his face tiredly. “April, get to the point, please.”

_“I just wanted to call and tell you that you really need to lay low for a while, at least until after I get back tomorrow.”_

He looked at Katrin questioningly over the rim of his coffee mug, squinting. “I… Yeah, if you say so,” he answered, still looking confused.

The girl said her goodbye and hung up again, slumping back against the couch with a huff. Her eyes lazily scanned over the room, up to her boyfriend, then back across the living room, almost not noticing the tiny detail. “Did you… Did you take down all the candles April put up?” she asked, a sly grin tugging at her lips.

Donnie smiled behind his glasses, finishing his coffee. “Maybe,” he offered playfully, setting the cup on the coffee table.

“You’re turning this into a dick contest aren’t you,” she accused, folding her arms pointedly as the smile on her face grew.

He rolled his eyes slightly, mimicking her posture. “Well, I wouldn’t have put it so crudely. Besides, you live here too, it’s only fair.”

She nodded faintly, again looking around the room. “Of course, I don’t know that he’d notice, my room being so far away from the living room and all. You think we should-?”

“No,” he groaned, “That’d just be overkill. Trust me, he’ll notice.”

Katrin pursed her lips, but was too sore between her legs to honestly want to push it. Instead she rose from the couch, pulling her hoodie over her head and bundling it in her hands, her back facing the other. “I’m gonna go take a shower then, care to join me?” she asked, peeking at him over her shoulder as she swayed her hips and walked down the hall, snickering as he stood abruptly and followed.

As big as their one shower was, it probably couldn’t have fit Raph, but as lanky as Donnie was, the two fit fairly easily. It was tall and pretty open, he just had to stoop over a little to fit under the hot water, sighing contently as Katrin kept a fair distance from the liquid fire that was pouring steam into the bathroom.

She let the shower fill up a little, since there was a good sized tile rim that would hold a few inches of water, and let him curl up on the floor while she took care of her bedhead. As she lathered and scrubbed she watched him draw on the glass door, rolling her eyes with a smile as she saw equations take form under his steady hand. Though, after a moment he paused, scowling as his finger hovered halfway through, then dropped with agitation.

“What’s the matter?” she asked, leaning a little to get a better look.

He sighed and shook his head a little, resting his cheek in his free hand. “I was going over some of the notes April gave me from her father, and there was one that just didn’t make any sense. But I know he wrote it the way he did on purpose, I just can’t figure out why.”

She hummed, frowning as he continued to scowl. “Does it really bother you that much?”

Donnie looked away from the glass for a moment, pouting as he thought. “I guess it shouldn’t, but he was talking about reverse effects of… _something_. I was hoping that if I could figure out his math I’d understand what he was referring to. But it’s really not that important, just annoying.”

Katrin nodded to herself, knowing the feeling all too well. So she finished washing up and rinsed the bubbles off, setting the shower to a more gentle rain so she could sit with him and hear him as he talked. Though, upon closer examination, she realized that she didn’t have a clue as to what half of the symbols even meant. “The fuck _is_ this?”

“It’s math?” he half questioned in reply, smiling as she squinted and tried to discern what was written in the condensation.

Though she soon gave up with a shrug and a shake of her head, leaning against his chest as his arms wound around her. She tilted her head up to look at him, and she was sure she had wanted to say something, but the accidental brush of their lips turned quickly into heated kissing, and she opted for forgetting about it. As she rose on her knees to negate the height difference, placing her hands firmly on his hips for support, he eagerly traced over the curves of her legs, pulling her closer.

Then Katrin slipped a hand between his legs, finding his tail and stroking it gently. Donnie gasped and pressed himself against the wall, exhaling into her mouth as she followed his lips, smiling. Her thumb rubbed circles around the base, coaxing him out into the open as he whimpered against her lips. When he was able to force himself to relax, allowing his length to slide into her eager palms, he shuddered and melted as much against her as he could.

She gently worked her hands in light pumping motions, slowly dragging her hands towards the tip and tracing the flared ends with her curious fingertips, repeating the process over a few times. After she felt he was sufficiently worked up she pulled away from his lips, letting him rest against her shoulder for a moment before bending low, tentatively flicking her tongue out to catch the pointed tip. His breath caught in his throat, knowing what was to come, and she graciously continued, slowly, pressing her tongue firmly into his slick flesh and sliding it upwards and flicking the tip.

He fought so hard against the urge to buck his hips, wanting the encasing warmth to surround him, but refused to indulge so soon, knowing that it would come if he were patient. It took a moment, an agonizingly gentle moment, before she eased him between her lips, continuously teasing with her tongue as her hands methodically worked along his shaft. It was blissful torture, wanting to both revel in her careful ministrations and thrust into her the way his desires were screaming at him to do.

Soon she picked up her pace, working her hands and mouth in tandem as she felt him clench and muffle his moans in his own skin. As she hungrily indulged in her own wants he began to lightly convulse, and he eventually slid a hand under her jaw to pull her back up to his lips, shuddering as the cold met his sensitive flesh. He plunged his tongue between her teeth, forcing her flush against him as his hands greedily slid across her skin, up her back and down her sides.

Of course his chivalry wouldn’t let him receive without giving, it was only fair. She obediently spread her legs as he dipped a hand below her naval, teasing lightly around her center before slipping easily down to his knuckles, smiling as she pressed her fingertips into his muscles. It took some patient exploring before he found what he’d been looking for, his pulse beating furiously between his legs as he heard her call out from the press of his finger. His other hand rubbed circles into her hips, migrating upwards to massage her nipples every so often as she twitched with the rhythmic motions of the hand pleasuring her from inside.

This was different than last night, oh so different. He’d felt good then, thick and wet and entirely filling in a way that was almost too good, pumping in and out with just enough force to make her legs tremble at the thought of it. But this wasn’t the same, there was a sparking fire heating between her legs with every curl of his finger, and she instinctively tensed as the feeling grew, wondering vaguely what could possibly happen.

He leaned forward, his hands never ceasing their movement. “Relax,” he cooed, huskily and deeper than usual, but she could feel him smile as her muscles loosened, and she had to fight hard to keep it that way. Somewhere in a vague part of her mind she thought she knew what he was doing, had seen in somewhere, read something about it, but otherwise her mind was reeling with _dear god he feels so fucking good._

And then the feeling began to double in intensity, and without his gentle reminders to relax and let go, she would’ve missed it, let it slip by entirely. But he was diligent of her body and its reactions, attentive to the way she dug her nails into his skin, the way her back arched, the way her body trembled with pleasure and the strain to keep herself from clenching. He coaxed her along, kissing her shoulders and nipping at her neck, whispering ‘Easy’ and ‘That’s it’ in a sultry bedroom voice she’d never heard before.

The rush came on like a hot wave, accompanied by a sensual gushing sensation around his finger and into the palm of his hand. She cried blissfully, calling his name and leaning into him fully for support, where she laid panting and shivering from the confusion of hot and cold from her nerves and the still running bath water. But all she cared for was curling up where she was to ponder whether or not she wanted to allow herself to become horny all over again, just for the chance to feel the same delicious sharp sensation.

She was in a daze when the water ceased to fall, when it no longer pooled around her feet or clung to her skin except vaguely in her hair. Drearily she opened the door to the hallway, reveling in the cool rush of air that made her spine tense and her flesh prickle. That was what sent him over. He had been peering at the couch in the living room, her offer mulling over in his head, but the way her body responded so easily to sensation drove him to a final conclusion. He picked her up and draped her over one shoulder, his body tensing from her giggles, and they repeated the process over again.

He was just as gentle, though not as slow, building her up gradually until she was begging for him with every roll of her hips until he let go. The thrusts were deep and precise, his hands supportive as she laid on her stomach, and his teeth protective as they occasionally wrapped around her neck. This time he didn’t hold back as much, responding in kind with her gasps and pleas to fuck her harder, _deeper_. When she cried out languidly after fulfilling her requests he praised her with ‘Good girl’ and clutched tighter around her hips, panting and growling against her skin. As he finished she trembled, feeling that he somehow forced himself deeper when he cried, the now familiar rush of warmth causing her cheeks to flush.

She vaguely remembered his arms wrapping around her spent form, nuzzling into his warmth, and the way his fingers played in her hair before she fell asleep.

* * *

Somehow she didn’t think she should have woken up so soon, even though she felt well rested and wasn’t nearly as sore and she probably should have been. But it was only four in the afternoon, and she was curled fragilely around his arm, her back pressed against his side and weight enough to one side that his fingers could wind through her hair. Her skin shivered over her numb bones and muscles, and her eyes and ears were almost too perceptive.

The orange light of the nearing sunset slithered into the room through the slit of the pulled curtains, she could hear his free hand tapping away on his laptop lazily, and there was as oddly still warm and sticky sensation between her legs. Her face burned at the thought of it, but not painfully so, it was a weirdly comforting feeling. However, she was still very naked and in need of some cleaning up. So she slid a hand between her thighs and pushed herself off the couch, heard no protest from the other, and made a quick stop in the bathroom before stepping into her room to put on some clothes.

For the rest of the night they passed the time with quiet talk and a movie that they happened to find, and Donnie whipped up something quick and warm for dinner. They stayed up a little past eleven before retiring back to Katrin’s room, curing up comfortably in the nest of blankets and gently used pillows.

It was around noon when the girl’s phone went off, and she snagged it from the coffee table to see if it was anything important. Aprils’ name showed up in the text preview, and she set down her cereal bowl to read the rest of it, pouting at the message.

Donnie looked up from his spot on the couch, mimicking her facial expression. “She’s on her way home isn’t she?”

Katrin shoot her head. “No, they just pulled in,” she sighed, getting up to unlatch the window so that Raphael could slip inside. “Oh well, it was nice while it lasted.”

“Yeah~” he mused, smiling vaguely as he looked in her general direction.

Then there was the sound of April’s obnoxiously jingly keys in the door, the roll of the tumblers, and then she pushed the door open with a huff, hauling in her suitcase to set it by the door. She dropped off her keys and purse on the kitchen floor and locked the door behind her, slumping against the wall in exasperation.

Her roommate looked at her with interest. “Well you look exhausted,” she pointed out, realizing that she’d missed having someone to pick on, since she had learned fairly quickly that Donnie wasn’t much fun to tease on a whim.

April glared halfheartedly and pursed her lips, bending over to unzip and kick off her boots. As she did the window clicked open and Raph eased into the apartment, rolling his joints and looking around. Almost immediately his nose wrinkled furiously and he thrust his head back out into the December air, making various noises of disgust.

The two girls looked at him curiously, but as soon as Kat spotted the faint bounce of Donnie’s shoulders in silent laughter, she realized what had happened and fought to seem ignorant. When Raph pulled back inside he held a hand over his nose and scowled at his lanky brother, who was sprawled on the couch with his arms folded proudly across his chest.

“Yer an asshat, Don,” he greeted, his eyes flicking over to Katrin briefly, noting how she bit her lip to help keep her laughter at bay. “Don’ even gimme that look, I know wha’s goin’ on.”

April’s eyes darted between them in confusion, not understanding what had prompted his attitude. “What are you talking about? And why are you holding your hand over your nose?”

He folded his arms defensively as best he could, still glaring at the other turtle. “Because pipsqueak’s boy toy ova here jus’ started a dick fight. God _damn_ Donnie,” he hissed, shoving his nose back out into the fresh air.

The other simply smiled triumphantly as April strode in with her hands on her hips, eyeing him suspiciously. “Donnie, what is he talking about?” When he refused to answer she looked around, hoping to find some indication as to why her arrival back home had begun with such shenanigans. Her eyes quickly picked up on the small detail, “Did you guys take the candles?” And then it dawned on her. “Oh my _God_ you two are absolute fucking children. I’m gonna have to pressure wash the couch before I sit on it, thanks a lot.”

Katrin rolled her eyes dramatically. “Oh come on, April. How many times have you guys-“

Raphael gave a sound of silence, holding his hand out as he pulled his head back inside, still grimacing. “We get it, pipsqueak, ain’t no need to explain.”

Soon after helping April to unpack, the boys affectionately kissed their women and headed out, taking the van that was parked in the alley. When they’d left Katrin went about putting the candles back where they had been, smirking to herself the whole while. As she did it dawned on her that her and April needed to have a serious conversation. “So, about that thing the boss called me about.”


	20. 20

They sat in their chairs, behind their computers, in their own separate spaces, side by side, able to hear the other’s nervous ticks. Drumming a pencil, rapping their fingernails in some made-up rhythm, tapping pointlessly at the keys, even the furious rub of their coat sleeves across the table surface as they’ve drawn on it with an eraser head and each know the other hates having eraser shavings all over everything. The agonizing delay was starting to eat at both of them, because they knew exactly what was coming, but _when_ was driving them mad. They even spent their lunch break mulling over whether or not they wanted to indulge in a candy bar or two because they knew leaving the floor for the cafeteria was absolutely not an option.

It was the worst kind of torture, waiting for exactly what they knew was to come, so when the office door clicked open and the boss poked his head out to call for them, they were already halfway across the room before he got halfway through his sentence. They sat eagerly in the pointedly less comfortable chairs, catching glimpses of each other out of the corner of their eyes as they watched him sit down heavily and link his fingers together in the stereotypical fashion.

He wasn’t all that old, past his prime though, and had a beer gut that he proudly accentuated, whether or not as a status thing or something else was unknown to all. But his clean shaven face and neatly combed auburn hair lent himself to being very much in charge and very much the one who could fire either or both of them should he deem it necessary.

“Ladies,” he began, his slightly baritone voice carrying just barely to the corners of the room. “I’m sure it hasn’t yet slipped your minds, what happened last spring.” He waited for some sort of confirmation, but only received placid stares of anticipation. “Well, it started with that report from the subway, when the Foot Clan took hostages.” Again he waited, but not quite so long before continuing. “It’s come to our attention, partly why Ms. O’Neil was rehired, that there really is something to this vigilantes story.”

They nervously glanced at each other, but otherwise made no movement or showed any signs of emotions that might have given anything away.

He breathed in deeply, sighing as he leaned further against his desk. “We’ve been getting reports in lately, they started coming in a little after Ms. O’Neil did that piece on how Sachs was a fraud.” This time he paused merely for dramatic effect. “Some of these reports are a little… _bizarre_ , if you will.” His right hand freed itself from underneath his hefty weight to pull a small remote from the top drawer of his desk. “Why don’t I show you what I mean.”

At the push of a button the monitor above and behind his head came to life, showing a series of short clips of eye-witness reports. He took a quick look at them before playing the first one, showing a middle aged man with a bewildered expression.

_“I was down in the subway, up against the wall, and this… large man ran in front of me and threw a Foot soldier at least four or five feet into the air before they hit the wall next to me. I’ve never heard of any man that could catapult a two-hundred pound man into the air like that.”_

Another quick glance and he played the next one.

_“It was the strangest thing, because… Well I know there was more than one, I could hear them on different sides of me…. Yes I did, they were each at least twice the size of any normal man and looked to be built like brick houses…”_

_“Well you know, I only caught a quick glimpse, but it looked to me like they were carryin’ around some serious weapons. I think one of them had a sword or two..._ ”

He paused the footage to recline slightly in his chair, his eyes fixed on them intently. “These were only the brief descriptions, the ones that didn’t seem very abnormal. But the rest are… well, you’ll see.” The next few showed an older woman, a child, and a round Asian man wearing and apron.

_“Well they dropped in so suddenly, and it was fairly dark, but, but I did see the lot of them… Oh yes, there were four, all very tall, one seemed quite giant, and just so polite… Oh of course, one just constantly asked to make sure I hadn’t been injured… Oh well, I suppose I can tell you that they weren’t exactly normal by any means… I don’t know, have you ever seen a man walking around with a shell on his back?”_

_“Oh no, I promised, I’m supposed to keep them a secret… Well because one saved me from the mean Foot Clan after my sister Susan and I got attacked in an alley… He was HUGE! Oh yeah, way bigger than you! And he had an orange mask on, and he was really funny. Also he said he did nij-… nunj-…Yeah yeah, nin-joot-soo… Well, I guess I can tell you that he has brothers, and one of them is really tall with glasses and he’s got purple.”_

_“It was pretty dark, and I was just closing my store up when a group of Foot cornered me in the back parking lot… Well I would’ve been, if it hadn’t been for the four of them. Oh yes, quite large, very thickly built, and they each wore bandanas and carried ancient ninjutsu weapons… Well they certainly seemed quite proficient in the art, despite their… odd form.”_

Here he paused again, one last video remaining to be viewed. His expression seemed to have hardened with second thoughts, so he posed a straightforward question. “Are you ladies alright to watch this last one? It’s a little more revealing.” When they each nodded cautiously he exhale and pressed the play button.

_“I dunno man, but I’ll tell you what I saw. There was four of ‘em, they were big and tall, and… and… they weren’t human. I know I know, I sound crazy, but I swear I don’t drink or smoke or anything, never have never will. But what I saw was real and right in front of me, and they weren’t no farther away from me than you are right now… Their skin was green and real thick, they had flat faces, a weird number of fingers, and they could talk… No seriously, I swear to God, dude I ain’t playin’. I dunno what… They… well they looked like fuckin’ turtles, is what they looked like… Man I don’t know! I wish I had an answer, I really do, but I don’t where they came from and I ain’t seen ‘em since. Honest to God.”_

He shut off the monitor and put away the remote, giving the girls time to soak in what he’d shown them. “Not to mention that I’ve given up on counting the number of eye-witness accounts that said they saw some strange looking “turtles” walking around this past Halloween. Most of them were convinced they weren’t costumes.”

April swallowed and peeked over at her intern, noting how Katrin’s flat stare held and there wasn’t a bead of sweat to be found. Finally, she spoke up to get to the point. “What is it that you want _us_ to do, exactly?”

Suddenly he resumed his business demeanor and linked his fingers again, making the desk creak ever so slightly under his weight. “I want a story out of the two of you. And I don’t mean the speculation of whether or not we got vigilantes, we all know that. Hell, half the damn state knows about it. What I want are names, pictures, I want to know where the hell they came from and what they are.”

Instantly Katrin took the defensive and her muscles went rigid. “Do you honestly think we’ll be able to get that kind of information? I doubt they’ll be all for an open interview.”

He scoffed and his frown deepened almost unnoticeably. “Then I suggest you get creative. Stage a god damn attack if you have to, I don’t care how you do it. I just want concrete evidence, I want to know that they don’t have some ulterior motive for beatin’ off the Foot Clan.” When April opened her mouth to protest he raised a silencing hand and continued. “Don’t worry, I’ll give you a team once you’ve got an idea about how to find ‘em, but this isn’t arguable. Either you give me a front page story or you’re both fired. You can have the rest of the day off.”

* * *

The two girls stormed out of the office and into the parking lot, their steps crisp and their hair billowing with rage. Katrin slid into the driver’s seat and brought the Stingray to life, listening to the sharp edge in April’s voice as she called Leonardo, demanding that everyone be awake and in the living room by the time they got there.

Katrin was silent for the entire drive, glaring through the windshield evenly as she wound through the early afternoon traffic. April flipped through the folder they’d been given, containing written accounts, passcodes for the restricted archive files on the database, photographs that barely showed so much as a blur, and a few mostly unnecessary cross reference forms. When Katrin pulled up next to the tunnel entrance she’d hardly cut the engine before April took off at a brisk walk, the other following as closely as possible in her slacks and heels.

The door was swung wide open for them, and they could see the four sitting hunched over on the couch and chairs, Splinter having joined them but stood off to the side to observe. April immediately tossed the folder onto the coffee table with enough force to make the slap echo through the living room, glaring hotly at Leo.

“You guys have been careless!” Katrin all but yelled, noting how they all, including Raphael, shrunk slightly away from her, none of them familiar with her anger.

Leo slowly removed the folder from the table, his eyes lingering on April’s before he flipped through the contents. Instantly he relaxed, sighing heavily as he set it back on the table, biting his lower lip as he looked between his brothers. “We know… that’s… that’s kind of been the point.”

April didn’t seem any more at ease, and her stare was just as hard and unforgiving. “Well then _please_ enlighten me. _Tell me_ why half of the state of New York knows that there’s something going on and that Katrin and I will be _fired_ if we don’t plaster your faces on the front page of the newspaper. _Tell me Leo_.”

Here his head snapped up in sudden apprehension, a cold chill snaking through his shell. “What?” he asked softly, feeling his brothers tense beside him.

Katrin folded her arms and glared over the lot of them, catching Donnie’s protest with a terse ‘don’t’ before continuing. “We either give you up to the public or we get fired. And if we get fired I’m willing to bet that there will be mass search parties out looking for you, and you won’t be able to leave the sewers.”

Mikey rubbed his hands over his face, muttering slightly. “Dude, what are we gonna do?”

At this point Splinter had moved silently to stand behind the boys, his ears low and his whiskers twitching rhythmically. “If I may make a suggestion,” he queried, meeting April’s softened gaze. “My sons. We have sought sanctuary from the outside world since we were fated to the depths beneath the city. And how long have you yearned to live freely on the surface, how long I have meditated on ways to make it a reality. Now an opportunity presents itself, thought not ideal, but it is the duty of the ninja to not pass up an opportunity.”

Raphael shook his head and cast his eyes to the floor. “We can’t just… Everyone will see us, the whole damn state and then some. How do we know people won’t come after us, I ain’t gettin’ thrown in a cage for an autopsy.”

Leo glared at him out of the corner of his eye. “Not helping, Raph.”

“You can’t tell me you’re not a little bit worried about gettin’ experimented on.”

“We’re all thinking it, you don’t have to _say_ it.”

“Then do you got some way to get out of this mess? I’d love to hear it.”

“If you’d cool off we’ll think of something.”

“Don’t you tell me to cool off! This is a fuckin’ disaster!”

At this point the two boys were standing with their chests puffed out, nearly butting heads as one snarled and the other stared, demanding obedience. Before anyone else had time to react, Donatello closed the space between him and his brothers and forced the two apart, his eyes narrowed.

“If the two of you can’t go a minute without trying to kill each other it’ll only leave us open to make more mistakes! We all know the situation is bad, but unless you two play nice we won’t have a chance to deal with this. Now back off and shut the hell up, I have an idea.”

They all followed him quietly to his station of computers, huddling around as he typed furiously at his keyboard, pulling up necessary information. “Earlier today I intercepted audio feed from a patrol car, Karai wasn’t in it but she was talking with the soldiers who were. They’re planning another break in at the docks in a few days, we’ll get in and out like always but we’ll make sure Kat and April record the whole thing. Then we’ll look over what we’ve got and decide what to turn in.”

Raph clenched his fists as he surveyed the video feed of the docks, instantly hating how open the space was. “We can’t send them in there, it’s too dangerous. What if something happens?”

With a sigh Donnie heaved himself to his feet, refusing to speak with the other as he loomed. “We’ll go over details and take precautions,” he answered, keeping his face void of expression.

“I ain’t sendin’ her out there, not with the place crawling with Foot.” he argued, his voice low and rumbling with the anger that was already present in his eyes.

Donnie set his jaw and glared harshly at his brother, prepared to fight if he had to. “Don’t you dare come to me and pretend that this is worse for you. We have to send them _both_. That means you and I are in the same boat. No, I _don’t_ like it. But in order for this to work we can’t be half-assed about it, otherwise we’re _all_ in danger.” After a final decisive and stern glower he marched off and slammed the lab door behind him.

Splinter walked up slowly to the girls, resting a hand on each of their arms gently. “I think it would be best for you to stay here until it is time.”

April left for the apartment and was back within the hour, having collected changes of clothes and anything she deemed might be necessary for the excursion, as well as notifying their boss that the only person they needed was Vern. When she got back the place was quiet, even Michelangelo was keeping to himself while Splinter, Leo, and Katrin conversed in the kitchen.

She dropped off their things in the bedroom before joining the others, catching her intern’s eye as she approached. “He gave us time off until we brought him a story, but he’ll be checking in to make sure we don’t flake,” she said sourly, taking up the empty stool.

It was rough for the few days they were there, nearly unbearably so. The girls spent the first night in their boys’ nests, though Katrin was left alone to shiver most of the night while the others had joined to catch up on sleep. Leo and April discussed contingency plans over a layout of the docks while Katrin stared with a heavy heart at the cold lab door which hadn’t opened since the night before. Mikey tried to keep her mind off it, but was never able to keep her entertained for more than an hour or two. Raphael’s chest tightened at the sight of her, knowing exactly what was going on, which prompted him to slam a fist against the metal door more than once. She didn’t sleep the next night.

Usually she kept barriers up, fixed, locked, unyielding. Her emotions were in check, always where she wanted them, like it had been since middle school. She was good at it, keeping cheerful, and only ever let the unhappiness dig into her skin when it mattered. But this was childish, selfish even, yet the feeling wrapped around her throat and stung her eyes. What had she done? Had she missed something? Was there a line she crossed somewhere?

But it only continued to eat her, and somehow it leaked out and made things very obvious. Sure they noticed she took to nibbling rather than actual eating, and there was a distant confused look in her eyes. Though, no one said anything until after she began to stand by the door. _His_ door.

She leaned her head against the metal, had called out a few times; ‘Donnie?’ ‘Are you okay?’ ‘Can I come in?’ ‘Please don’t shut me out’. Without an answer still she stood, her hands grasping at the edge of her shirt as her eyes stared at the cement beneath her feet.

How had he managed to do this to her? Why was she suddenly unable to keep control of her emotions like she always had been? She was reduced to a pathetic little child, and she knew it, but couldn’t help but revel in the feeling. Maybe it was because she had never been allowed to act out in such a way, and he’d finally given her an outlet for it. But it still hurt.

He watched her fight it, she stood there for _hours_ , he knew her feet were numb, that she was hungry, but mostly he noticed how fucking hard she fought to control her welling eyes. But eventually, as he knew it would, her resolve faltered and he could almost hear it hit the floor. And it broke his heart.

Her stare, however, didn’t falter, not until she heard him speak.

“Hey, pipsqueak… I wanna talk to you.”

They sat off to the side of the rec room, where there was a small table set up with pillows. It was secluded and no one would hear them talk, or cry if it came down to that. She sat facing him, though her head hung low as she stared into the palms of her hands while his eyes were trained on her. A few moments passed before he spoke.

“You know… I thought April was a shot in the dark, a blind shot. And then you came along. I don’t know much about coincident, don’t know how much I believe in it either. But you know you’ve earned a place in this family, and we all love ya, always will.” He paused, watching her fingers twitch but seeing nothing more. “I know I’m kind of a hardass most of the time, and I think you understand why better than anyone else. But… you’re like a little sis to me, and it breaks my heart to watch you hurt so much.”

Her shoulders quaked once and then stilled, but he heard the distinct sniffle as she breathed, knowing she was searching for a response. “I don’t… We couldn’t…” Finally her eyes rose to meet his, and he saw the deep streaks cascading down her face. “Why is he ignoring me?”

Raph sighed heavily, internally cursing his idiot brother for being a bigger ass than himself Bus he continued to speak slow and even, keeping the anger out of his voice. “We don’t let him use it as an excuse, and he knows he shouldn’t. But he’s got a hard time dealing with _having_ feelings. His brain is all numbers and science, and when he gets to somethin’ outside of that, somethin’ he don’t know how to handle, he shuts himself away. It’s never intentional, or personal, and he usually needs a kick in the ass about it, but it does happen. Splinter thinks it’s because he knows he could panic at any moment, and the fewer people around the smaller chance he’s got. None of us really know if it helps, but ever since he… the incident, it doesn’t happen as much.”

Katrin’s eyes were wide and glassy, full of abandonment she felt pathetic for feeling at all. It was ridiculous and she was jumping to conclusions, but even so it didn’t lessen the heartache. “What happened?”

He shook his head gravely, closing his eyes for a brief moment. “If I tried to tell you I wouldn’t do it any justice, I don’t know how he felt, none of us do… he never told us. We were just scared. But that doesn’t mean he’s not bein’ a dick, and ‘m sorry he’s doin’ this now.” Then he rose to his feet, careful not to make much sound, and extended his hand to her, pulling her against his chest when she stood.

It didn’t last too terribly long, as neither of their egos would allow for it, and so he put a hand on her shoulder and guided her back to the lab, raising a fist to knock gently, but firmly. “Donnie,” he called, his voice deep and commanding. “Open the door. It’s been forty-three hours.” As he waited he bent low to whisper. “Ain’t no tellin’ what he’ll be like in there, just be gentle with him.” Then he left her alone with the door.

She stood and stared at the handle, her eyes fixed on the little red light that had been denying her access all day. Then there was a click, the deadbolt rolled over, and the light turned green. But she hesitated, fought with herself about whether or not she should go in, wondering who he expected. Would it be wrong to invade his privacy? Or should she show concern for his well being? Either way her hand pulled at the handle and she slowly forced the heavy door away from its frame, just far enough for her to slip inside.

The fear and hurt she’d been feeling melted from her shoulders, and she was finally left to be calm and hopeful, putting her in the mindset to make sure he was dealt with accordingly. She shuffled quietly over to where he sat in his desk chair, his head resting in his hand as his fingers tucked under his glasses. He didn’t have to make any noise for her to tell he had been and probably still was crying.

Gently, and slowly, she removed his glasses and folded them on the table, setting them away from the edge. She curled her fingers carefully around his wrists, rubbing his hands with her thumbs, and eased them away from his face without letting them go.

His eyes were closed and his breathing was even, but his cheeks were streaked with fresh tears and his lips still twitched. After a short few seconds he opened his eyes and looked at her, silently pleading for something unknown to him. She moved and he allowed her to crawl into his lap wrapping his arms around her as far as he could. Only when his head was buried in her chest did he allow himself to speak.

“I can’t let you go out there,” he forced, keeping the sob from his voice. “Not when I know what could happen.”

Katrin tucked herself around him as her thoughts cleared and she slowly began to revert back to her natural state of confidence. “It _was_ your idea, you know,” she replied softly, running her fingers along the back of his neck and shoulders. “And we don’t exactly have too much of a choice.”

He shook his head and clutched at her shirt, not wanting to believe she was right. “There has to be something else, this was supposed to work… I can’t believe I didn’t-“

“Don’t. You know this isn’t your fault, don’t act like it is. We can’t change the fact that people know, it was a hazard from going to the surface from the beginning, you all knew that. Sensei was right, this isn’t ideal, but we’d be stupid to do nothing, and I _dare_ you to tell me I’m wrong.” Being harsh with him wasn’t exactly her favorite, but she knew it was most effective and would give her results quicker than gently talking him in circles.

Soon his muscles relaxed and he raised his head, his eyes red and begging for alternatives he knew didn’t exist for them. “I can’t promise you’ll be safe…”

“And I knew that from the beginning, before you told me. And if it means that maybe you won’t have to hide anymore, I’m willing to take a risk. Besides, my degree is on the line, I have one semester left, and that’s plenty of motivation for me.” She smiled slightly, tracing her fingers under his jaw.

As much as he hated to admit it, she was right, and no amount of sulking or waiting for a panic attack would keep the inevitable from happening. He nodded and tried to return the smile, though feeling as though it came out as more of a grimace. “Just try not to get too cocky.”

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Me? Cocky? Ha. I make no promises.”


	21. 21

The first run was a complete bust. The girls sat around with Vern for nearly two hours after the “scheduled” time, in the correct location, and not one single Foot soldier showed up. Everyone looked to Donnie, almost relieved, but questioning if his information had been valid, to which, of course, he insisted that if they were going to give him lip they’d have to start dealing without his help. The seven made their ways back to the lair, discussing details about trying to hone in on another heist, something small.

Vern shifted uncomfortably, never having been in the lair before, and knowing he wasn’t really considered anything but an acquaintance to the turtles. But of course he was on the job as much as they were and felt that maybe his input might be at least a little valid. “I have a suggestion, if it’s okay,” he began, shrinking a little as all eyes snapped to him almost immediately. He swallowed and pushed on. “Instead of waiting around trying to catch a Foot heist, why not just… bring them to you?”

Leo shook his head and pursed his lips, his elbows resting on his knees. “Senseless fighting isn’t going to do us any good, better to show people we’re stopping violence, not starting it.”

The clock read a little past midnight, making April tired just knowing how late it was, and she rose definitely, darting her eyes towards the other girl. “It’s pretty late, we’ll come over again tomorrow or Sunday, okay?”

They all nodded but didn’t much move to say goodnight, Raph and Donnie sending their women away with looks of solemn acceptance of their leaving. A comment was made about their behavior on the way out, and Vern very pointedly stood behind the girls to stay out of the boundaries of the conversation.

“You know they’re just worried. I think Donnie’s only trying to keep himself relaxed as much as he can,” April offered, knowing that his lack of positivity was greatly upsetting her roommate. “He knows he wouldn’t be much help if-“

“I know, I get it,” the other cut off, her arms wrapped tightly around themselves in an attempt to keep the warmth close, though her voice bit as cold as the air outside. “I just think he’s getting worked up over nothing. They’re just Foot, it’s not like anything _horrible_ is gonna happen.”

April curled her lips inward to keep herself quiet, not wanting to instigate an argument that she’d probably have with him soon enough anyways. They were all silent on the ride home, Vern dropping them off at their apartment before wishing them a goodnight and disappearing. The two entered their living quarters, set down their things, and stepped into their bedrooms without another word to each other.

The rest of the month and the first week into February yielded no results, and they kept getting either false leads or were too late to follow up. The turtles got progressively more agitated in a relaxed sort of way, glad that nothing bad had happened, but anxious that they were wasting time. The girls spent a fewer days over at the lair, which made Raphael quite put off, accusing Donnie’s piss poor attitude for being the reason they had become distant.

That, of course, prompted more than a few scuffles until they roared into an all out fist fight. Supposedly, if Splinter had been feeling up to it, he’d have thrown the two in the hashi and scolded at them for being childish and unproductive. But as fate would have it, he wasn’t feeling the best, holed up in his room with tea per Leo’s begging, so he simply gave them a stern tongue lashing and told them to take it outside where he couldn’t hear.

“You’re such a fuckin’ prick, Don!” Raph spat, shoving his lankier brother by the shoulders knowing it wouldn’t throw him off balance.

Donnie dug his heels into the gravel and drove his shoulder into Raph’s chest. “If you would’ve left well enough alone we wouldn’t be here!”

They scuffled for a short few seconds, hissing and grunting with the blows and shoves, throwing less than creative insults at one another. Even for their massive size difference they knew how to play against each other quite effectively, due to the many instances where Donnie had taken it upon himself to stand up against his brother’s teasing when they were younger, both for himself and Mikey.

But now he was just using the fight to blow off steam, knowing that he’d have a hard time inflicting serious damage on his bara of a brother. Though, that wasn’t to say his punches didn’t fucking hurt.

“ _Christ Donnie!_ If you hadn’t been such an _asshole_ we wouldn’t have this problem!” he growled, grabbing his brother’s shoulders and throwing them both to the ground, trying to pin him down under his weight.

However, Donatello was a stickler for knowing pressure points and how to use an opponent’s size against them, and was out from underneath Raph’s sheer mass within a few seconds. “ _That’s not my fucking fault!_ ” he yelled back, his muscles trembling with adrenaline and fatigue. “You and I both know why I had to back off.” The hurt in his eyes didn’t go unnoticed by the other, but he made no move to acknowledge such.

Rpah simply shook himself out and glared daggers right back. “Doesn’t excuse you for bein’ a heartless dick,” he replied evenly, his fingers twitching by his sais eagerly but with restraint.

Donnie caught the movement of his fingers, knowing that it would only be a few seconds before their weapons got involved, and reached back for his bo, already having met Raph’s blow halfway between them.

Their weapons clashed against each other as they continued to scream and yell, their blows becoming more violent and less reserved. By the time they pushed away for a pause Raph had a significant bruise the length of his bicep and Donnie had a few spots indicating slight internal bleeding.

In the still air their breathing was heavy and loud, fogging slightly as they slowly circled each other, eyes still narrowed with fury. Finally Raph sheathed his sais and sighed, his large shoulders rolling tensely. “Dammit Donnie, why are we doin’ this?”

The other tensed quickly, then relaxed, his head drooping slightly as his eyes scanned the ground with shame. Twirling and sliding away his bo he could only shake his head in response, too invested in internally chiding himself.

“Look,” he continued, taking a shaky step forward. “I know what’s goin’ on, and you’re right, you need space. But come on, you don’t gotta shut everyone out all the time. When was the last time you talked to her?” The question was simple, and he knew that Donnie could give him an answer right down to the minute, which is why the answer he did get was unsettling at best.

“I think a week ago… maybe a week and a half,” he muttered, turning his eyes up to meet his brother’s stern gaze.

Raphael shook his head sadly, concerned for the mental and emotional stability of the other. “You need to talk to her,” he paused, eyes ghosting over towards to city. “Come on.” He turned and walked directly out of the plant gate, listening to his brother protest meekly behind him, cursing, then jogging to catch up.

“It’s broad daylight!” he argued, moving to put a hand on Raph to stop him.

The other turned and looked sternly at Donnie, shrugging out from under his hand. “You need to talk to her, daylight or not, an’ you know I’m right.”

Donnie sighed loudly, shifting his eyes between his brother, who was right, and the sewer tunnel behind him that housed the security of abandonment. But he turned from the comfort of the lair and followed the other into the city, reluctantly, but not without purpose.

* * *

There was a knock on the apartment door, rousing April from her light reading as she groaned at who it could possibly be. The peep hole didn’t offer much that could sway her decision one way or the other, so she simply unlocked the chain and deadbolt, then pulled the door open with a smile.

The couple standing before her looked like they fit into the chic far upper class of New York, sporting high end tailored clothes, a suit on the man and a dress on the woman, brand name jewelry – April was sure he was wearing a Rolex – and the gemstones set in the woman’s ears nearly blinded her. They were older, which wasn’t all that surprising, and looked as though they were forcing their pleasant smiles.

“Um, hi? Can I help you?” she asked, leaning against the edge of the door in her sweatpants and t-shirt.

The woman looked once up at her husband before answering. “Ah, yes, we’re here to see miss Katrin, is she home?”

April had never explicitly delved into her intern’s private life, knowing she wasn’t fond of most of it, but was aware of a wealthy background and assumed these people had some sort of connection to her or some part of her family. So she replied evenly, “Yeah, I’ll go get her… Uh, you can step inside,” she offered backing away from the door to allow the couple in to close the door.

She noted how they looked around with near shrouded disgust, their eyes never lingering on one thing for too long. But she ignored them and strode down the hall, knocking on the girl’s door. “Kat, there’s people here to see you,” she called, not waiting for any sort of answer. When she made it back into the living room she noted that they hadn’t moved from the foyer, which was probably for the best, they weren’t able to see or hear the light rapping against the window. _You guys couldn’t have worse timing._

With a sheepish grin she turned away and calmly walked over to the window, pulling it open and sticking her head out to glare at the two boys. “There’s strange people here, can you lay low until they’re gone?”

The two scowled and exchanged looks, Donnie opening his mouth to question why she’d let strangers into their home.

“They’re here for Kat, just wait until they leave, okay?” She huffed as they folded their arms in annoyance, complying in their usual way. But she didn’t close the door all the way, a thought in the back of her mind keeping the option open of calling them in if needed.

Which became an almost definite need as soon as she turned around. Katrin stood where the hallway met the living room, stone solid with her eyes piercing and her fists clenched until her knuckles were white. Her jaw was clenched and she swallowed hard, setting her shoulders squarely as if ready to attack.

“Get out,” she said quietly, her gaze cold and full of anger. When the man chuffed at his wife, who put on a fake smil and opened her mouth to negotiate, she reiterated her statement again, with far more force and volume. “ _I SAID GET OUT!_ ” Her shrill voice carried quite a ways, and April had to shake her head violently to keep the two boys inside.

“Kat,” April said gently, immediately suspicious of their company. “Who are these people?”

Her intern stared furiously at her from the corner of her eyes, her muscles tensing. “These pretentious _fucks_ are the ones who fed off me for money until they _got rid of me_ ,” she spat hatefully, turned back to look at the couple still staring tiredly at her.

“Katrin,” the woman began, not flinching from the girl’s snarl. “We didn’t abandon you and you know better than that. But it’s time to come home now, you can continue your studies with Professor Ghaffari, you remember him, don’t you?”

Suddenly her fury subsided and her body relaxed, a pure look of bewilderment stretching across her features at she stared at the two of them, her uncle crossing his arms with the same authority he used to use on her as a child. Then it became funny, the whole ordeal, like it was a joke, a sick one, but still just as funny. “Wait wait wait… Are you…?” she laughed, putting her hands on her hips. “Do you honestly believe that I’ll come back to Morocco with you?” When their expressions remained blank she laughed again. “ _Are you out of your god damn minds?_ ”

Finally her uncle puffed his large cheeks, which suited his larger stature, and curled his fingers. “You listen here, young lady, I will not tolerate such language in-“

“Oh _fuck off!_ I am twenty god damn years old, you couldn’t pay me enough to listen to you anymore. Because news flash, I don’t have to. I am a legal adult and that means you hold _no authority over me, asshole_.” Her heated stare was back, but more reserved and under control than before.

The man dropped his arms and took a step towards her, moving to reach out his hand.

“ _Stay the fuck away from me_ ,” she hissed, recoiling away from him, but not before he was able to grab her by the arm and pull her close.

“I will not have you speaking to us this way! You’ve been allowed freedom for far too long, you’re coming back to Morocco and that’s final!” he demanded, his moustache all but flaring under the breath of his anger.

Katrin stuck her neck out and glowered, their noses almost touching as she defied his words, “Make me.”

The pitch of the back of his hand being forced across her cheek silenced the room until Katrin was let go and shrieked in surprise. April let the boys in, knowing they’d heard what’d happened. As soon as the two were wholly in the room Katrin had already stood back up and was in her uncle’s face, struggling as his hands held an iron grip around both of her wrists and his words all but screamed in her ears as blood trickled down her reddened cheek.

Donnie’s entire body clenched and restrained itself from attacking immediately, but his hand whipped his bo around and he harshly snapped at the man’s wrists, pulling Katrin behind him as he forced him against the wall, his bo caught in the other’s hands as it was pressed across his shoulders. Donnie leaned in and spoke quietly, making sure no one else could hear. “ _If you ever lay another hand on her ever again I will make damn sure that it’s the last time you ever do._ ” When the other flared his nostrils and asked if he was being threatened Donnie made sure he was explicitly understood. “ _I don’t threaten. I promise. Do_ not _cross me again._ ”

When he backed away to drop the old man he turned his head to see that the wife was petrified with fear and Katrin was nowhere to be seen. He angrily ordered the two out of the apartment and had April lock to door behind them, then cast his eyes to his brother.

Raph shifted a little a motioned down the hall. “She took off, started cryin’. You should go check on her.”

With a gentle sigh Donnie removed the bulk of his gear and set his staff against the corner of the room by his things, then quietly stepped down the hall and put his ear to the door. He could hear her whining through her teeth and the quivering in her breath, and wondered vaguely if he should just leave her be. But he couldn’t shake the feeling that he wanted so desperately to reach out to her, comfort her, dry her tears, tell her he’d always protect her. Maybe it was just part of his instincts surfacing, but at that point he knew he couldn’t simply walk away. So he knocked softly on her door and waited.

And he continued to wait until the silence tore at him and he knocked again, met instead with a harsh demand to go away. His breath caught for a moment but he slowly let it out, his hand slipping down to the doorknob to check if it had been locked. When it failed to give he slumped against the door, the frames of his glasses brushing against the wood. “Katrin…” he tried, hoping to break through to her. When he kept silent he tried again, “Katrin please let me in… baby I need to talk to you.”

The faint sound of her ruffling comforter soothed his heart, and he smiled internally as she unlocked the door, but waited to open it until he was sure she was back on her bed. He turned the knob slowly and pushed open the door without a sound, stepping in before closing it behind him.

However, he was caught where he stood at the sight of her, his heart caving in on itself within his chest as he watched. She sat in the middle of her bed, her head hung over as her hands trembled against her ears, her mouth silently screaming as tears pooled between her knees. But his hesitation lasted only for a moment, and within the next he had crossed her room and scooped her up in his arms, cradling her tiny shivering body as he sat cross-legged in her place.

He let her wail into his skin and dig her nails into his shoulders, running his fingers through her hair as he held her close. When she began to calm and loosen her grip he held her out and rubbed his thumbs under her eyes to wipe her tears from her cheeks. She peered up at him pleading and fear in her eyes.

“I don’t want to go back…” she whispered, her voice cracking.

His eyes began to well and he pulled her back against him, burying his face in her neck as she wrapped her arms around his. “I promise you aren’t going back.”


	22. 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry not sorry. Feel the pain.

“Aww shit son, prepare to get… Blue shelled bitch!”

“ _God dammit!_ ”

Mikey and Katrin were huddled on the couch, an empty pizza box on the coffee table and cans of orange crush scattered and overturned littering any available surface area. They sat shoulder to shoulder, each tucked under an igloo of blankets with only their heads and hands poking out, thumbs and fingers furiously working their controllers trying to best the other at Mario Kart.

Raph and Leo were out on a patrol run, wanting to get out of the lair and settle some stupid argument they’d been having ever since Katrin had arrived. April was back at the apartment trying to outline their front page article, and had insisted on alone time in order to allow herself to think past wanting to shove her keyboard up the manager’s ass.

So she happily obliged and was currently reveling in victory, hands thrown in the air as her feet kicked enthusiastically in front of her, a cackling laugh drowning out Mikey’s whines of protest. Her laugh also muffled the irritated squeak of Donnie’s desk chair as he swiveled around and huffed audibly.

“Do you two _mind_? I’m trying to find a lead, remember?”

Katrin stopped and looked at him over her shoulder. “Sorry, what was that? I couldn’t hear you over the sound of my _victory_!”

He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, none too impressed by the fact that she’d beaten Mikey since he’d never really been good at Mario Kart anyways. “And I can’t hear myself _think_ over your obnoxious cackling,” he replied, hauling himself to his feet to make a beeline for the kitchen, his mug low on coffee.

Mikey’s eyes widened as she turned her body to face him, an eyebrow raised with disbelief. “ _Excuse me_? Boy, you do know who you’re talkin’ to right?”

Donnie scoffed and walked his heavy mug back over to his desk. “Well I know I’m not talking to my mother.”

“Dude…” Mikey whispered, preparing for an all out bitch fight, though relieved when none began.

She leaned her head away comically and simply wrote him off. “God damn, eat enough sarcasm flakes this morning, Sassatello?”

Mikey’s hand flew to his mouth as he snurked behind her, watching as his brother paused, then set his cup on the table with a little more force than was necessary just to make a point and turn his back on them to continue working.

Just as Michelangelo opened his mouth to prompt another challenge he heard the other gasp in anticipation, closing it as he exclaimed ‘ _Shut up Mikey I found something!_ ’. The two scrambled over to peer over his shoulder, hoping that, by some chance, they’d be able to understand the technical jargon flitting across the screens.

He hastily flipped between windows and monitors, double checking firewalls and background programs to make sure his spying wasn’t caught. “I think… I think we’ve got something…” he stated, sounding just as surprised as the other two looked. After another minute of double and triple checking for locations he slid his chair back with finality. “Mikey, call Raph and Leo, tell them to meet us at the south side docks by the office building. Katrin, call April and have Vern drive her there, and bring me your headphones.”

The two scuttled about and did as they were told, Mikey putting on the little brother charm to persuade Raph this was more important than his and Leo’s latest feud, and Katrin rolling her eyes as April threw a bitch fit on the other end about being in the middle of working on keeping both of their jobs. Eventually they both got Donnie’s word through and the three made for the Shell Raiser, Mikey having reluctantly been put on driving duty.

Donnie cursed under his breath at every little bump in the road as he attempted to partially rewire Kat’s headphones so that she had her own means of communication. Even though it had already been nearly finished and the complicated bits were taken care of, his nerves were making his fingers shake and his anxiety surface, already bubbling at the edges. He finished hastily, tested it, made sure she could hear him without any feedback, and gave her a short list of contingency instructions, running through plan A and plan B.

Katrin listened intently, storing away details and making sure she understood everyone’s part in both situations. When the van stopped she sat tight, waiting for the others to join up along the far side of a warehouse just in sight of where she huddled. She could hear Vern’s car pull in beside her, but didn’t dare peek out until given the signal to move, looking over her shoulder once to see the other two following close behind.

As she met up with the boys, who were crouched in a loose circle, Katrin hunkered under one of Donnie’s arms while the other two filled in any extra space, waiting for Leo to rehash their objectives. It was simple really, easy to follow, in and out and then they’d be done. The tricky part was really up to April, since getting good shots wasn’t as easy with single frames, but she was confident and had made sure to bring her best camera.

For a solid half an hour they waited in the shadows, Raph and Donnie making sure their women were in their line of sight and unseen at all times while Leo kept Mikey quiet and focused. Eventually, however, as they crept in the darkness, sounds of shuffling footsteps and heavy boots echoed softly between the metal containers. There was a loud, terse command, female without a doubt, and everyone’s eyes absentmindedly drifted to Leonardo’s general direction.

A minute seemed to last an eternity as the Foot soldiers crept along the docks in a small fanned out group, Karai carefully following behind with a pistol readied at her side. Her heels clacked sharply and with purpose, and her entire body language seemed to scream that she knew they were there, and that she was prepared.

Leo stepped out first, calmly, but with authority and an edge to convey that he was not to be messed with. The floodlight illuminated them both, and Katrin could see the coy smile playing on her lips as she talked quietly to him. But soon her voice rose loud and clear, carrying easily in the frigid night air.

“There’s no point in hiding, call them out. Now.”

He shuffled momentarily, eyeing the soldiers as they stationed themselves within shooting range of himself before raising a hand to motion his brothers out into the light. They appeared, weapons bared at the ready and prepared to strike the first to make a move, their eyes constantly shifting between the gunned men and Karai.

There was a short little conversation, the general pleasantries shared among enemies, the promise by one to stop the other and vise versa. It was pretty basic, and was low key even as Vern filmed and April quietly took pictures from her perch. But of course, fate couldn’t be wholly on their side, and wouldn’t even grace them with the opportunity to think of a way around it as Katrin was hurled onto the concrete with a shriek.

Everyone tensed immediately, but Donnie was the first to move, the first to react and lock eyes with the Clan member that had pinned her down with a gun to her head. He could feel his blood hit boiling point as he whipped hid head around to his brother, eyes wide and furious.

“ _LEO!_ ” he accused, his knuckles whitening around his staff as he strode over to the other, looming icily as he closed the distance and growled faintly as Leonardo’s breath nearly fogged his glasses. “ _You better get your fucking girlfriend to let her go or I swear to god I will drop every one of these god damn thugs and don’t you dare think for one second that I won’t lay into her just because she’s your play thing._ ”

Leonardo snarled and shoved his brother a few inches back, his eyes turning to bore holes into the girl’s. “Karai what are you _doing_?” He stepped closer and lowered his voice to just a breath above a whisper. “How did you know she was here.”

Karai set her lips in a thin line and side stepped around him, her eyes flicking over to their hostage a few feet away. “A friend of yours is an enemy of the Shredder, you know that Leo.”

It became very apparent to Donnie that his brother was not going to be able to salvage the situation, and he turned fully to Karai himself and took only one step towards her before she took aim at him. He snarled and tensed his muscles, but kept in place.

“If you move to attack or follow us we’ll shoot her,” she said flatly, emotionless but with an edge of promise. Slowly she started walking towards Katrin, then turned her back as she followed her soliders out, the girl fighting and screaming as she went.

Donnie never heard Leo shout, and he never got more than a few feet from where he lunged, his ears muddled in her cries as he tried to call out to her, fighting the two massive arms of his brother as Raph held him down. It wasn’t fair, it just wasn’t _fucking fair_. She was _right there_. He could still see her, he should be able to just reach out and grab her, pull her away and hold her close and promise her that he’d always keep her safe.

But he knew that was a lie, and he knew he’d already told her it wasn’t a promise he could make, none of them could. Not to her, or April, or even Vern. And it just hurt so god damn bad because there was no telling what they’d do to her, what they wanted with her. He’d never been so terrified in his whole life, so lost not knowing what to do or how to react.

He just remembered the tears falling as he dropped to his knees, his arms began to shake, and then it went dark.

* * *

There was such an awful throbbing in his head, his limbs were sore, his throat was on fire, and he felt heavy all over. And there were people screaming at him, yelling, calling out… was he being dragged? Why were the lights so bright? Were his eyes still wet? His chest… it felt so tight… and his breathing was so short… What had happened?

Oh wait. He remembered. She’d been taken from them. From _him_. She’d been dragged off, cussing and screaming, defenseless and tiny in comparison. Once she said his name, even through his own screaming he was sure he’d heard it, like a bell ringing clearly amongst the chaos. And it was the last thing he’d heard before everything went-

It’d happened again. And even as he came to realize it he could feel another one surging right behind him, and the fear dug into his skin and clung desperately. His throat ripped apart and he fought, against whatever or whoever had been latching onto him. He had to get away, far away, he had to find her… But he was so very afraid.

* * *

“Fuck! Grab him Leo!”

“I’m trying- Donnie calm down!”

“HE CAN’T HEAR YOU, IDIOT!”

Master Splinter hurried into the living room, demanding that someone explain what the commotion was about, until he saw his son thrashing and screaming between Raphael and Leonardo. “Get him to the dojo! Now!”

The two hurried their brother to the dojo, listening to their father order Mikey to bring him a handful of things. It wasn’t nearly as easy as it might have looked, and it took some coordination to get him onto the platform and down on his knees where Splinter could reach him.

“Michelangelo! Hurry!” he chided, bringing his fingertips up to calmly rest against Donnie’s cheeks, gently talking him down in Japanese. It wasn’t going to keep working for very long, but soon the youngest brother bustled in with everything his master had asked for. Splinter lit a match and nestled an incense stick into a wood block, placing it under the other’s nose.

When Donatello had been much younger he had been just discovering his creative outlets, which is what currently did the most to keep his panic attacks in check. However, he didn’t quite have such options back then, and the first time had been the scariest. For all of them. He remembered hearing his sons yelling close by, and the look on Donatello’s face as he crouched in a corner and began to shake. It took a handful of ‘I don’t know’s before Splinter realized what was happening, and for a long time he wondered if medical treatment was going to be necessary. However, he’d quickly found an effective way to deal with his son’s attacks, and was relieved to see it take long-term effects. But sometimes… things just happened.

The incense had proven to be an excellent calming factor and Splinter had integrated it into many of the special meditations he’d come up with for him specifically. Soon Donnie’s thrashing calmed and Splinter ordered everyone else out, not missing the helpless whimpers of Mikey as he fought to stay.

For a few quiet moments he massaged the other’s shoulders, pressing his fingertips roughly into the taught muscles. Eventually Donnie came out of his state of panic, his breathing slowing, his heart calming, and his eyes fluttering open. “Donatello,” Splinter breathed, searching his son’s eyes for any signs of lingering fear or anxiety. “Tell me,” he continued gently, “What happened?”

Donnie looked up and tried to speak, tried to recount the events, how he had failed them… how he’d failed her. But all that came out was a choked sob and his body began to tremble hopelessly, a more tangible feeling gripping at his consciousness. His resolve fought and pushed against him, told him that it wasn’t necessary, that he should stop, but it wasn’t enough and broke quickly under the weight of his guilt.

He had let her down. He never had the right to even try and promise. And he’d been so cold to her in the last few days… His anxiety had turned him sour and now he might even get the chance to make it up to her, to tell that no matter what he’s always loved her. But he’d let her slip away, and he could still see so clearly in his mind as they dragged her off. He could still hear her screaming.

The tears came quickly, hot and foreign as they slid down his cheeks and sunk into the concrete. His voice soon followed, and within only a few moments he’d been reduced to wails of pain and anger, his head bent over his father’s shoulder as he screamed and sobbed and bathed in hate. His cries echoed off the walls and carried far beyond the boundaries of the lair, and continued to do so for what seemed like an eternity.

His brothers had taken to sitting in the living room, which was as far from the screams as they could get. For a short while they either stared at their hands or stared at each other, concern welling in the pits of their stomachs.

Michelangelo finally looked up, the corners of his eyes wet and his lip quivering. “That’s never happened before…” he said quietly, fear flickering across his face. “Not twice… and he’s never cried so hard…” His eyes moved between the others, watching their expressions and wondering if they were anywhere near as upset as himself.

Raphael shook his head, his nose twitching slightly as he fought to keep control, his eyes drifting upwards to meet his brother’s. “You gotta fix this, Leo,” he began hoarsely. “What the hell would Karai want with her anyway?”

The other sighed and furrowed his brow, scowling off to the side. “She shouldn’t want her for anything, which means something else is going on.”

“That ain’t good enough!” he bellowed back, his eyes glossing over as he stood hastily. “My little sister is out there, an’ you got no idea what for. With as much sneakin’ around as you do with Karai you can’ tell me anything else?”

Leo clenched his fists and closed his eyes, exhaling slowly in an attempt to keep the anger from his voice. “Well it’s not like she’s entirely willing to hand over her plans, Raph.”

With a growl he forced himself to sit back down, knowing that broadcasting his rage wasn’t going to help solve such a delicate situation. So he continued to wait with the others, listening mournfully at his brother’s howling fits from the dojo. They didn’t start to die down for quite a handful of minutes, but it didn’t take long until the lair became painfully silent, though none of them made a move to get up and see.

Eventually Splinter padded out into the living room with their brother, one hand placed gently on the back of his shell to keep him moving forward. Donatello’s eyes were red and his cheeks were tearstained but he otherwise looked as if his boiling rage could outclass Raph’s.

“My sons,” Splinter addressed sternly, “This is a dangerous situation to be in, you cannot afford to be so careless again! Katrin does not belong in the hands of Karai, the longer she is there the worse her fate becomes. You would do well to find her quickly, before she can no longer be saved.” With his last word he turned and left, disappearing into his room quietly.

Leonardo stood and looked up at his brother, his chest aching at his pained expression. “You should get some sleep, Don, we can-“

“We leave _now_ ,” the other demanded harshly, looming over his brother threateningly.

“Donnie, you’re a mess, how much help are you going to be if-“

“Because I’m still pissed the fuck off!” he yelled, leaning in close to make his point. “That’s the _only_ way I’ll be any help to you.”

The other three watched as Donnie stormed into his lab, and Leo sighed irritably. “Suit up guys, I ain’t arguin’ with him.”


	23. 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I don't quite bring on the hurt yet, that's the next chapter. But have fun waiting in anticipation for pain and suffering~

She was cuffed and tied down, her hands forced behind her back and ankles bound together, shoved in the back corner of the armored jeep with three soldiers and Karai. For the first short while she kept silent, quietly seething and glaring daggers at anyone that caught her eye for too long. When Karai had radioed in that they were on their way she ventured a sneer, especially at hearing that Shredder somehow wasn’t dead. But as much as she dreaded whatever laid in store for her, she kept her lips pursed and her attitude terse.

Katrin wasn’t a damn pushover, and she certainly wasn’t about to act like some helpless damsel in distress either. However, she figured that directly pushing against and fighting her “enemies” would only land her in more trouble, so she looked for a different approach.

“You know,” she began, peering out the window as nonchalantly as possible. “They say he’s your father.” Her eyes flickered over to Karai, looking for any signs of emotion. When she wasn’t so much as acknowledged she posed it as a direct question. “Is it true?”

Karai darted her glance over to her captive, but firmly kept her mouth in a thin line and her stare empty.

It was quiet for another few minutes, but Katrin pressed on despite the other woman’s stubborn nature. “That seems kind of messed up, doesn’t it? I mean, you call him Master, like you’re his slave.”

“Keep quiet,” she finally replied, her eyes boring holes into the other’s stare. “That is no business of yours.”

As icy and cold as her words were, it didn’t do much to faze Katrin, but she allowed another few moments of silence to pass, watching the scenery outside change. She wasn’t familiar with their location, but the amount of trees had increased significantly. When she was bored of counting fence posts she started up again, but acted as though she was only talking to herself. “I guess it’s not that weird, I kinda went through the same thing growing up, they never did act anything like parents. They just dressed me up and treated me like a porcelain doll. I think the handmaids made fun of me behind my back.”

For only a second she was regarded with a flat look, but Karai said nothing and quickly turned her head again to find something else to look at.

“What happened to your mom?”

The question was sudden, and quite informal, which had the other silently floundering for a response. Finally she flicked her eyes quickly to her captive, answering in as few words as she dared. “She’s dead.”

Katrin watched her movements, noticed how she’d gone rigid and breathed deeper. She’d struck a nerve, that was good. “I’m sorry…” She paused, still watching out of the corner of her eye. “Is that why he-“

“I said keep quiet!” she shouted, far louder than necessary. The soldiers in the back jumped in their seats, their grips tightening on their guns before relaxing and exchanging worried glances. Karai pointedly ignore the lot of them, turning her head to stare through the glass separating them and driver.

For the rest of the drive Katrin kept to herself, staring back out the window to watch the tire trails in the snow. Soon they slowed, stopping briefly before the iron gate for clearance, then headed into a large warehouse.

Karai hastily threw open the back doors of the Hummer, ushered the other three out and had two of her soldiers restrain the struggling girl. They escorted her outside, across the snow covered drive, and around to a side door.

“Is this,” she began, looking up and around the house. “Sach’s place?” It looked just as foreboding and castle-esque as April had described it, bland and slightly sinister. _Kinda like Sachs…_

The interior was posh and subtly imposing, furnished with wooden pieces to match the polished floor, which was covered in a runner every few feet and along every hall. The crackle of Karai’s radio echoed off the sculpted walls, and she could hear a hoarse voice on the other end, to which the woman replied with a ‘ _hai_ ’.

She was lead through a few more rooms, down a long corridor, and into a back bunker of sorts. The walls and floor were smooth cement and the ceiling was layered in beams and cords, fluorescent lights illuminating the fair sized room not unlike a sterilized hospital ward. And in the middle, laid across a padded table and covered with a thick blanket, was an aging man, scars crawling across his cheeks and jaw.

“Karai, why have you brought this weak little girl to me?” he rasped, eyebrows furrowing into a glare as the woman guided the girl over to her father. As she opened her mouth to explain he simply cut her off and raised his voice. “I do not want excuses! You are useless to me! How dare you disobey a direct order!”

Katrin ceased her struggles and turned a perplexed eye to the man in front of her, raising a brow with intrigue and slight disgust.

“Master, I-“

“I said I do not want excuses. If you dare open your mouth again I will have your tongue cut out and fed to the birds.” He chuffed irritably and waved a hand to dismiss her and his Foot soldiers.

As they turned to leave she caught him whisper an insult in Japanese, something she was familiar with and heard Donnie throw at Mikey on several occasions. However, in this specific context, it was far more insulting and there was no hint of playfulness in his tone.

Katrin whipped her head around, partially baring her teeth. “Hey! Asshole! Why don’t you watch your own tongue! She’s your daughter for fuck’s sake, show a little respect dickwad.”

Karai sucked in her breath, unsure of whether or not she should chide the girl or further wonder why she hesitated. But she heard her father chuckle behind her, and his voice carried easily between the short distance.

“Perhaps I was quick to judge, give her to Sachs. He may make use of her.”

She could practically hear the smile in his voice, and fear quickly began to settle in her stomach as she was lead on. A few doors down the hall she could hear a voice yelling orders and Karai shoved her into the room, but not without giving her a stern warning, whispered next to her ear.

“You would do well not to defend me, it will only get you in more trouble.”

Katrin turned her head, her eyes questioning and glassed over with guilt. “Someone has to… don’t they?”

For a split second she swore she saw grief and some sort of a silent apology in her features, but the door was closed behind her and she was left in the room with the two Foot soldiers and Sachs.

His head turned and he smiled with enthusiasm, setting down the notebook he had beat one of the scientists over the head with. “You must be the new test subject,” he greeted, sauntering over and dragging his eyes over her face. “I hear you’ll make excellent bait.” He had the two men latch her bindings to a steel rod, binding her to where she could only stand, hunched over to keep from pulling at her shoulders.

When the soldiers left, Sachs walked slowly over to the table, flicking his finger against a glass canister filled with a slimy green fluid. “You know, this is the second time I’ve thought an entire project was wasted, because of those stupid box turtles.”

Katrin rolled her eyes at his ignorance. “Wow, Vern must’ve hit you over the head harder than I thought, shame it didn’t kill you. They’re sliders idiot.”

Any irritation that bubbled in his blood at her attitude made not a sign on his face, and he kept cool under her surprisingly harsh gaze. “Whatever they are they’ve been a pain in my ass, and I think I’ve just figured out how to get rid of them.”

She sighed, nearly bored with his tone and wondering why she’d been so intimidated before. _This guy is a fucking moron._ But she kept her mouth shut, only raising a questioning brow to have him continue, genuinely curious in the nonsensical plan he’d managed to come up with.

“I’ve been told that you have a certain… relation with one of them. And as disturbing as that sounds, I can still use it to my advantage.”

With a loud and pointedly obnoxious groan, she huffed and looked directly at him. “Oh please, everyone knows Karai goes out of her way to meet up with Leo so they can-“

“Please spare me the details,” he said quickly, holding up a hand and shaking his head in disgust. “And what Karai does is her father’s business, not mine. As long as you lure them here they’re dead, that’s all that matters.”

Again she huffed, but straightened herself out as much as she could. “Well while don’t you enlighten me?”

He chuckled, a grin spreading between his cheeks. “I’d love to.”

* * *

“Leo I don’t want to hear your goddamn mouth!” Donnie shouted, sneering at his brother as they were wresting each other to get into the Shell Raiser.

With a tightened jaw Leo exhaled irritably, but kept his mouth closed to spare his brother, knowing any one of them would be acting the exact same if they were where he was. Raph would absolutely be just as aggravating if April had been taken, but he was damn sure Raph wouldn’t be as crazed as Donnie. And that made him terrifying.

They piled in and Leo was put in charge of driving, Mikey on watch up front, and Raph was in the back to keep a handle on Donnie.

Raphael sat quietly in the back of the van, eyeing his brother carefully as he fiddled with the onboard computer system. It hurt him to see his most reserved sibling actually fight to keep his anger under control, and worry bubbled low in his gut. “So uh,” he mumbled, trying not to set off the other. “How we gonna find her?”

Donnie cursed as he fought with the program, scowling and gritting his teeth. “I put a GPS tracker in her headphones, so as long as she’s got them we can find her.” His voice bit through the air harshly, and there was no hint of relief on his face when a definitive red dot blipped into the screen. “Got her.”

“Where is she?” Raph asked hastily, moving to look at the screen.

“Looks like Sach’s. Dammit, I was afraid of that,” he breathed, rubbing his eyes as his mouth pressed into a thin line.

Raph looked at the other, knowing that Donnie only ever worried about anything if it was actually worth worrying about. “Why, what’s at Sach’s place?”

“… I don’t know.”

* * *

The rain pattered against the windshield as they pulled up the drive to the mansion, all eyes scanning the dark for some sort of ambush attack. Donnie could see a line of bodies loitering around the outside walls of the house just past the gate and informed promptly. But as Leo opened his mouth to formulate a plan, the iron gate creaked open and moaned in the winter air. They could faintly see movement some yards off, and they knew everyone was aware of their presence, but none made a move to advance.

Mikey rolled down the window a crack to listen for movement, and a loud voice rang through the rain, clear as a bell.

“Leo!”

The two boys looked at each other, the oldest squinting his eyes. “That was Karai,” he whispered, his eyes raking through the darkness to catch her in the faint house lights. He found her lingering directly in front of them, her Foot soldiers lining up beside her as she cued the lights on.

Donnie growled at the sudden slowed progression, antsy to get out and keep his rage from diminishing, which at that point would render him useless. He heard his brother over the radio in the back, updating him on what had caused the pause and how they were going to handle the issue.

“ _We all get out, slowly, don’t give them a reason to attack._ ” His voice crackled, and the two in the back snarled at their brother’s order to keep their weapons sheathed.

“This is bullshit,” Raph whispered, eyeing his brother as he slowly slid open the door. “I ain’t here to negotiate.”

The four slipped out into the light snow and dead air, everyone but Leo itching to pick a fight. The leader calmly put himself in view of Karai, his hands out in a peaceful gesture but not up in surrender, eying the girl as she grasped something in her right hand. “Karai,” he said calmly, scanning the ranks of soldiers. “You know what we’re here for.”

She remained quiet, her gaze flicking between her men and Leo, the cold air biting through her thick winter attire. As she continued to watch she noticed the largest one grow restless and she tensed as he stepped forward threateningly.

“Why don’t you just tell us where she is an’ we’ll leave _you_ alive,” Raph called, his voice carrying far beyond the line of men.

Again her eyes darted between the others and Leo, rolling her words around in her head one more time. “If you come any closer she dies!”

The brief moment of clarity that Donnie had had upon surveying the situation had kept him from lunging at her at full speed and decking her and the rest of the Foot. He noticed almost immediately that the detonator she held in her right hand was fake, it was too small and the shape wasn’t right. That meant that she was lying and somehow that only pissed him off more, but his lack of surety of the situation kept him grounded in place, and he ground his teeth together as he waited.

Leo remained silent, picking up on the subtle hint that something else was going on, that Karai was desperately trying to convey something to him but he just wasn’t getting it. The quiet, still air sat stale between them, the faint smell of oil and burnt wood drifting in from the trees and behind the house. “Why don’t you just let her go and we’ll leave, then nobody has to get hurt.”

Again Raph stepped forward, this time his anger directed at Leo. “The hell nobody is getting’ hurt! They got family Leo, ain’t no way anybody is getting’ outta this alive.” He pulled his sai free and took off, followed closely by Donnie and Mikey.

Leo cursed, watching as the men aimed their guns and tried to stave off his brothers. He did, however, notice that Karai had made a beeline for the house, and ordered Donnie help him track her, dragging him away from a bloodied soldier before he was allowed to kill him.

They followed her around the back of small storage building and into one of the side wings of the house, Leo calling out for her to explain what was going on. She didn’t reply, but kept moving through the house, able to hear their heavy footsteps on the wood floors behind her. A few times they had lost a few precious seconds dispatching soldiers that had wandered from their posts, but they never lost sight of the girl, and followed her all the way to the back of the property and into a warehouse.

The long broad hallway was empty of people, and towards the back was a mess of rooms, large windows leaving scarce to the imagination. She continued on to the back, her hands ready at her side by her gun as she spotted Sachs through the glass. As she reached the door she kicked it open, allowing the two boys to catch up as she entered, raising her gun to the man inside. “Stop what you’re doing!”

Sachs looked up, startled and confused. “Karai,” he chuckled nervously. “What are you doing?” When the boys entered behind her he caught the whiff of betrayal and smiled, quickly pulling his own pistol free. “Hold on there, big guy,” he said, holding one hand out to Donnie and the gun at the girl still chained to the pole behind him. “I wouldn’t get too close if I were you.”

Katrin looked up, her hair damp around her face as sweat beaded at her temples, her eyes bloodshot and her skin pale.  “Donnie…” she breathed, tears forming at the corners of her eyes and shivering at the slight cold that snaked across the bare skin of her stomach and shoulders. They’d left her in black cargo pants and had wrapped her breasts in black fabric, leaving much of her top half exposed to the sterile air. Her knees wobbled, and she desperately had been wanting to sit for hours, but the angle her wrists had been bound in wouldn’t allow her to do anything but hunch over slightly, which portrayed her to be far more disheveled than she was.

“Don’t do this, Sachs,” Karai continued sternly, her glare deepening as he moved around a table and towards Katrin.

His smile stayed firmly on his lips as she talked. “You know, for a while you had me convinced that you really were Daddy’s little girl, Karai. But I suppose I should’ve known you’d pull something like this,” he mused, reaching over to pull the girl’s hair off the back of her neck. His finger tapped at the modified ST fiber optic connector that had been surgically implanted at the base of her neck, the skin still red around the edge. “I hope you weren’t planning on saving her, because I’m not quite finished yet.” He switched on the computer monitor on the table next to her and took the fiber optic cable in his hands, twisting the end between his fingertips.

Donnie had seen plenty and moved to throw himself at Sachs, but he’d seen him coming and shoved the gun against Katrin’s cheek, tisking him for moving.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” he replied sternly, securing the cable into the port beneath her skull. “You see, at this point we can’t really go backwards,” he continued, starting a download sequence on the monitor. “Because if we do, she dies, and then she’s no use to anybody.”

The cable flickered with light as information streamed through it and into her body, causing her to whimper and convulse against the cuffs on her wrists. Her mouth hung open and saliva pooled against her bottom lip, and her shoulders shook violently and erratically.

“You know, we weren’t going to use her for anything at first, except for bait, and that obviously worked out pretty well,” Sachs explained, sauntering over to another work table as he kept the gun trained on the girl. His hand pulled open a drawer and he removed a syringe gun, the clear barrel showing off a thick green liquid. He looked up as he sported the gun, his smile widening as both turtles tensed and sneered at him. “That’s right, you know what this is. There was just enough left over from the last incident for us to use, and we figured out how to duplicate it. Of course,” he went on, making his way back over to Katrin, “That opened up a whole new world of possibilities, an endless supply for endless experiments. And she’s going to be the first.” He completed the download process and prepped the syringe gun, eyeing the tallest carefully. As he made another move to lunge Sachs slid behind the girl and held both guns against her skin.

Leo pulled Donnie back, glaring hotly at him and silently ordering him to calm down.

Sachs narrowed his eyes, pressing the needle against the skin on her neck under her jaw. “You see, you can’t save her. Because the moment you take another step I empty this entire barrel of mutagen into her bloodstream, and since I’ve just reprogrammed her brain, she won’t be on your side anymore. She’s the first of an army, and she’ll be the one to kill you.”


	24. Breezeblocks

He should have moved.

_The human variable is unpredictable._

He should have lunged when he had the chance. There was no way he would’ve really done it, he was bluffing. He needed her alive… all that work just to shoot her? He was an idiot for believing him.

_The human variable is unpredictable._

He had hesitated. In the face of her death he had _hesitated_. But maybe she would’ve been dead either way.

_The human variable is unpredictable._

And it had cost him. Dearly.

As the needle passed into her skin his chest burst into flames, hot and agonizing. The drop of blood that gathered around the prick set his instincts in motion, but he couldn’t move. The gun was still pressed harshly against her cheek, and that simply wasn’t a reality he wanted to chance. So he watched instead.

Her eyes dilated until her irises vanished, and she gagged harshly as the cord at the base of her neck was removed, her cuffs rattling against the chain as she shook. The saliva that had gathered in her mouth began to drip onto the concrete floor, and very quickly turned a fluorescent green.

Somewhere behind him Karai had disappeared and Leo was nowhere to be seen. He barely took a moment to notice, too distracted with the helpless pitiful whimpers as Katrin began to sob tears that matched the growing puddle on the floor. Then the screams started.

The pores of her skin began to twinkle with fiber optic light as she keeled over farther, straining her quivering shoulders as her body raged an internal war with itself. As her head bent low and she shook it with defiance he noted very clearly that her headphones were still attached to her ears, which is where he assumed the blood trickling down her neck had come from.

Eventually her screams rose in pitch, far beyond that which was humanly possible, until they turned into eerie screeching V.8 bis tones, not unlike the howling of a dial-up connection. It made him shudder that she suddenly sounded so mechanical, but the tears didn’t come until segments of her body began to flicker in ribbons, as if she were a bad monitor display.

It wasn’t natural. That wasn’t supposed to happen. People’s bodies simply didn’t _do_ that. Ever. But he couldn’t deny what his eyes were seeing, her skin and clothes glitching in and out of existence, like she were a hologram. Like she weren’t real.

Then, just for a moment she seemed to calm, as of the eye of the storm has come, but as he took a tentative step forward her head snapped up, pale and… angry. Her eyes glowed with a solid sickening green color, and they were narrowed at him harshly.

“Katrin…”

She snarled, her lips pulled across her bared teeth, then continued to scream and thrash against her cuffs, one hand coming free as her wrist flickered, then the other following. Her body staggered forward, and as her hateful eyes looked around there was an awful echoing in her head, loud and straining. Tears welled in her eyes as she tore at the sides of her headphones, one hand reaching out to the wall for support. But as her fingers brushed against the wires of the master light switch she vanished, the thud of rushing air rocking the tables in the room.

He choked, unable to see past the tears in his eyes and streaks on his glasses. His head whipped around as the ceiling light behind him burst and Katrin cried on the floor beneath it.

_Muscle to muscle and toe to toe, the fear has gripped me but here I go._

Her arms pushed her up and she stood, wide fearful eyes desperately searching for his. His mouth moved, her name, but she couldn’t hear him. There was music in her head, loud and piercing, and with it came the unyielding urge to… obey.

_My heart sinks as I jump up, your hand grips hand as my eyes shut._

She gripped at the edge of the table, trying to stabilize her shaking body, but at the sight of wavering light glowing through her fingertips another metallic shriek forced itself over her tongue. Again she was gone.

_She may contain the urge to run away, but hold her down with soggy clothes and breezeblocks._

She appeared again on the floor next to the burnt flood light, holding her stomach and sobbing uncontrollably, her shrieking cries echoing off the sheet metal walls.

_Germolene disinfect the scene. My love, my love, love, love!_

Sachs pulled her up by her hair, again pressing the gun to her head while a wicked smile played on his lips.

_La la la la!_

As she wailed and cried he only pulled at her hair harder, forcing her to her knees. “She doesn’t belong to you anymore,” he said calmly, watching the paralyzing fear ground the other in place.

The chorus rung through her ears again, and she tore herself from his grasp, flickering through the table in front of her and out the door.

_… but please don’t go, I love you so my lovely._

Her feet echoed against the concrete with the sound of the music in her head, and she only saw the end of the building, getting there was all that mattered.

_Please don’t go, please don’t go. I love you so, I love you so._

She could barely make out the heavy footsteps behind her, but oddly they didn’t register and she cared not who they belonged to.

_Please don’t go, please don’t go. I love you so, I love you so. Please break my heart._

Every few steps her body flickered and she gained a few extra inches, the churning in her gut slowly dissipating as she became accustomed to the feeling. Still, her pursuer remained behind her.

_Please don’t go, please don’t go. I love you so, I love you so._

Soon the throbbing in her ears lessened, and her stride grew more controlled and purposeful, but still she didn’t know where she was going.

_Please don’t go, please don’t go. I love you so, I love you so. Please break my heart._

Then she heard her name, clearly this time, and the voice sounded panicked and hurt. But it made no difference to her.

_Please don’t go, I’ll eat you whole. I love you so, I love you so._

This time he shouted, forcefully and maybe even angrily, but still pained and wavering with fear. Still, it didn’t matter to her, whoever he was, as she had no recollection of him.

_Please don’t go, I’ll eat you whole. I love you so, I love you so I love you so._

The edge of the building was only a few yards away, and very quickly things became very clear to her.

_Please don’t go, I’ll eat you whole. I love you so, I love you so._

There was a threat. And she’d been made to neutralize it.

_Please don’t go, I’ll eat you whole. I love you so, I love you so I love you so._

“Katrin!” he cried, hoping that he’d be able to finally reach her as she slowed to a stop, one pale hand resting against the metal wall. As he approached she turned her head to the side, not quite looking at him, but finally acknowledging that he was there. “Katrin, are you-?”

The quick, fierce jab of pain came so suddenly it knocked him from his feet, and he fell to the floor with one hand already clutching at his bleeding side. His breathing went ragged and his pulse thrummed in his ears, and again the tears flowed across his cheeks. He looked up and saw her looming over him with a disgusted snarl stretching her lips.

“Next time… you’ll be dead,” she hissed, and flitted through the wall and was gone.

His emotions were in limbo, playing against each other, tugging and pulling, fighting for control as he rolled over onto his forearms, wheezing as the pain burned and snaked across his body. The tears stung worse than the cut along his side, which bled through his fingers and dripped onto the already stained concrete floor, seeping into the cracks and bubbles as a permanent reminder.

A reminder that he’d lost her. That his precious Katrin was gone. And what was worse was that she was so mentally distorted he didn’t exist to her. He was nothing more to her than a target. His existence held no meaning to her any longer, and he was almost certain that she had no memory of the late intimate nights they’d spent together. And all of the times he’s told her he loved her. The reality hit him hard, and his chest heaved as his muscles strained.

No more hugs and kisses. No more cuddling on his nest, talking about nonsense at three in the morning. No more long winded scientific explanations just because she loved the sound of his voice. No more running his fingers through her hair or over her soft skin. No more intimacy. No more laughter. No more anything.

She was gone. And he had to watch it happen.

He didn’t know if his screams of agony had alerted anyone, but very quickly he didn’t care. His head throbbed and his muscles ached, and he didn’t remember getting to his feet, everything had gone dark and he was blind.

He was blind to his brother and Karai calling out to him, blind to their worried voices, and blind to just how roughly he slammed Karai against the wall, growling hatefully at her. “What did you do to her!” he wailed, unaware of anything but his anger.

Leo spat an order in Japanese, and in any other situation Donnie would have responded, but he hardly noticed the other was even there. He focused solely on the girl beneath him, who had played a part in the destruction he had been forced to play witness to.

Karai squeaked with surprise, but didn’t bother to fight him. He barked out his question again, and she turned her head to the side in shame, knowing that she’d have to answer him. “Sachs reprogrammed her reward and response system… he can control her with bpm frequencies, she can’t ignore them,” Karai said softly, her fingers trembling as his grip tightened on her coat.

“What else did he do.”

She bit her lip, but knew not to keep him waiting. “We’ve been experimenting with human and object mutations, and when we found it successful on a molecular level Shredder wanted proof. The mutagen turned her veins into fiber optic cables, she can disassemble her atoms and transmit them like data. She has some level of control over photon energy, but we don’t know how extensive it is, that’s why we wanted a real subject. But she wasn’t supposed to respond to the mutation so quickly, she’s unstable and Sachs might still not be able to fully control her.”

Donatello unclenched his fists and let her drop to the ground, a growl rumbling low in his chest as he spotted the small container in her hand. “What’s that.”

Karai uncurled her fingers and held out her hand hesitantly, keeping her eyes averted. “I thought if there was anyone smart enough to create a retromutagen it was you, the flash drive has Sachs’ notes on it, he didn’t get very far. But I wouldn’t trust anyone else to save her.”

Taking it with a swipe of his hand, he snarled and stored it safely away for later. “And why the _hell_ would you care whether or not I’m able to save her?”

“Because,” Karai finally barked back, her eyes narrowed as dangerously as his. “There is no honor in what they’ve done to her! And how I helped make it happen! She defended me in the face of my father’s anger, she doesn’t deserve this. And neither do any of you.”

Leonardo watched her go, her heels clacking briskly on the cement as she left in a huff, neither of the brothers very sure as to where she was going. Finally the shorter looked up, knowing he’d regret searching for the amount of guilt and pain and heartbreak on his brother’s face. But he also saw the emptiness and the storm that raged in his eyes. “We should get back to the-“

“I’m not leaving here without her,” Donnie stated harshly, shouldering past the other to follow after Karai.

Leo huffed and jogged to catch up, his own anger bubbling. “If we stay here any longer we’ll all be in danger!”

Donatello stopped. His head turned, and his body followed, slowly. His eyes trained defiantly on Leo’s, a show of domination, and he bent over, speaking softly. “You’ll be in danger if you get in my way.”

In all the years that they’d live together, Donatello had never threatened his brothers, not seriously, and certainly not with such brutal malice. But even as that fact rolled around in Leo’s head, he knew his brother wasn’t bluffing, and in that moment, he was terrified of Donatello’s anger.

He silently averted his own gaze, which years of leadership training had demanded him not to do. It was a sign of submission, and Splinter was the only one he’d ever submitted to, never one of his brothers. Of course, he also had a hard time blaming his brother, and he knew for a fact that if Karai had been in Katrin’s place he’d be just as fierce and ruthless. However, that didn’t change the fact that the most reserved of his brothers had just managed to fill him with fear, and when this blew over he intended to have a very long conversation about it.

* * *

It was cold and in dark inside her head, and she couldn’t even really hear the music anymore, but the bass pulsed through her veins and compelled her forward through the house. The nausea as she streamed through the wiring and shorted out the bulbs had ceased, and she freely moved about from the ceiling lights to the ornate lamps. Sometimes she even managed not to burst the bulbs, and the notion filled her with vigor.

Whatever she was, _she liked it_. There was power in her blood, tangible, she could feel it coursing through her veins like data through wires. Because that’s what it was. That’s what _she_ was, now.

But she also had a job to do, objectives, _people to kill_. She’d get to it soon enough, she’d find them and make quick messy work of it. For the moment she just wanted to feel the light dripping through her veins and out her pores, thick and liquefied. She passed stationed Foot soldiers every once in a while, and the fear and their eyes made her lips tug in a sly grin, and the way they flinched when she snapped at them made sick laughter bubble in her throat.

It was invigorating, she held power she’d never felt before, didn’t know that she was capable of wielding or manipulating. She had to test it, had to know her limits, what she could do. Practice was a good excuse.

She stopped suddenly, ceasing her roaming as she came to a hall, a dozen or so men loitering about. Scanning her eyes over their bodies she picked one, singled him out, and ran. He never saw her coming, and didn’t even notice she was there until she had a firm grip on his hand and was pulling. For her, the feeling of her molecules pulling apart and rejoining no longer was bothersome, but for him… he didn’t live long enough to feel anything at all.

Blood had exploded against the wall where she’d entered the wiring, coated it so thick it ran along the wood and dripped in massive clots, even from the ceiling. _Pity_ , she thought, figuring she should’ve known that normal people don’t do that, not like she could. However, the cowering faces of the rest of the men was satisfying enough, though she still wiped her hands along the walls, gathering blood on her fingers to flick at the men as she sauntered by.

However, her enjoyment was short lived as the familiar sound of heavy footsteps echoed off the walls and she sighed, not particularly wanting to deal with that… _thing_ at the moment. But she had an idea, thought maybe she could play a little game and give them a good chase while exploring her other abilities.

“Well they encourage your complete cooperation,” she sang, grinning at the man towards the end of the hall. “Send you roses when they think you need to smile!” Her teeth flashed as she darted towards him, barreling through his body and coming out the other side. “I can’t control myself because I don’t know how, and they love me for it honestly I’ll be here for a while~” She turned and watch his body fall to its knees, blood pooling from his mouth as he hit the floor with a finite thud.

_Oh yes,_ she thought, _this will be fun~_ She skipped and chassed around the corner and continued her song. “So give ‘em blood, blood, gallons of the stuff!” She looked happily down at her fingertips, noting how they glowed faintly. “Give them all that they can drink and it will never be enough,” she chanted, her eye twitching as she forced the light through her skin and out into the open, giggling low in her chest as the sparks of light cut through the air and burned holes into anything they came into contact with. “So give them blood, blood, blood~” Her wrists flicked with each repetition of the word, sending barrages of photon sparks at nearby soldiers like frays of bullets. “Grab a glass because there’s going to be a _flood_!” At the last syllable she clapped her hands together, and almost too quickly for the eye to see, the remaining handful of Foot members were dispatched immediately. They all fell to the ground in heaps, their faces and torsos riddled with perfectly round holes that gurgled with escaping blood.

Her malicious game continued down the halls and through open rooms, leaving a trail of gore in her wake. The pools of blood stained the wood floors and sometimes there would be chunks of flesh clumped in the corners. But the stench of death permeated the walls and carried throughout the house as she sang merrily and skipped through the carnage, kicking up tiny splashes as she went.

Just for fun she allowed the heavy footsteps, she could tell they were running, to catch up, and she’d have to double over her trails. She began leaving thick red arrows on the walls, and trailing her fingertips along the slats, but it wasn’t until she came to the main living area that her pursuers had caught up. She had stopped, and then everything began to hurt again.

The pounding in her head returned and she fell to her knees as her eyes locked onto theirs from across the room, angry tears gathering between her lashes. _This is their fault…_ “You… you told them. You told them and paid them _to hunt me down!_ ” she wailed, her teeth bared as her aunt and uncle rose from the couch, each exchanging glances with the Shredder as he laid in his bed, smiling faintly.

“Dear, this was for your own good, if you had just-“ Her aunt began, though jerking as she was cut off.

Katrin growled and threw out another mass of photons, the energy hardening into a shard as it pierced the floor at the woman’s feet. “If I had just _what_? Gone back to that hellhole you two slither around in? My _god_.”

Her uncle pursed his lips as his face reddened, put off by the half-hearted insult. “Young lady-!”

“ _Don’t you young lady me._ You pretentious cheating asshole, don’t think I don’t know what you are. All those nights I couldn’t sleep because all I could hear were the women screaming your name as they begged you for money with their ass your face,” she groaned, smirking as her aunt’s hands flew to her mouth. Katrin rose to her feet, dry heaving and shaking as the fluorescent saliva poured from her mouth in a steady stream.

And then a voice rang out, tired and hurt and heavy-hearted, but still tinged with hope. Her head turned and her back straightened, the tears finally streaking down her cheeks and leaving thick trails against her skin. “ _Donnie_ …” she whispered, her hands curling inwards as she whimpered and fought to shy away from him in shame.

Donnie fell to his knees and pulled her against his chest, burying his face in her hair as he quietly whined and tried to curl himself around her. He’d failed to protect her then, maybe he wouldn’t this time…

Katrin dipped her head and stared at her fingers, wheezing with terror at the blood that had seeped into the tiny cracks of her palms and fingerprints until she was screaming. His stern hushes helped lower her voice, but the fear in her eyes never left, even as she hid her hands and pulled away from him.

“No no, don’t… you can’t… You have to get away from me,” she sobbed, too ashamed to meet his gaze even as her eyes widened with the base thumping in the back of her head again.

He snarled to himself and cupped her cheeks in her hands. “I am _not_ leaving you here,” he said quietly, the pain in his chest growing as she shook her head.

“I’m dangerous you can’t trust me!” she cried, wrapping her fingers around his wrists in a pointless attempt at keeping herself grounded. “ _I don’t want to hurt you._ ”

The pressure of her hands against his chest told him he’d failed. _Again_. He’d let her down a second time, had wasted his only second chance. He couldn’t even hear her cry of anger for the thump of his heart in his ears, and he couldn’t help the roll and churn of his stomach in disgust as she made quick work of the couple across the room.

All he could remember was that there was just _so much blood_. And he didn’t bother to remember how much of it he had spilled himself.


	25. 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took way too long, but it's here, and now that the new movie is out, my muse has resurfaced with a vengeance. I hope it was worth the wait~

The next few precious seconds were a complete blur, he couldn’t follow her with his eyes, couldn’t trace her movements, just a thick trail of blood that she left in her wake. At first he thought she was doing what she was programmed to do, but he quickly realized that there was no rhythm, she wasn’t distinguishing between anyone. Just was just killing whoever she could get her glowing little hands on.

 

And he was just as ruthless to anyone who stepped between her and himself.

 

Donatello was no killer, the thought made him physically sick, and he’d never be able to forgive himself for such violence. But there are rare instances, when he’s pushed back into a corner, where he’ll rise to the occasion out of necessity. Katrin was in danger. Period. He may not live with himself afterwards, with so much blood on his hands, but if he didn’t give it his all for her then it wouldn’t matter. He’d be dead either way.

 

But the thought of such was far from his mind, as the only thing that occupied his attention was keeping her in sight at all times, and absentmindedly dispatching any other body that happened to step into his path. His rage may have been blind, but he could see with a crystal clarity that was almost disorienting.

 

The seconds ticked by, and soon, there were shouts coming from behind him. Calling his name.

 

“ _Donnie!_ ”

 

“ _Donnie this has to stop!_ ”

 

“ _Where’s Katrin, we’ve gotta go!_ ”

 

There was a pang in his heart when he recognized their voices, and he stopped, turning to find them in the disarray. Raphael. Michelangelo. His brothers.

 

Mikey came bounding over, kick flipping and dodging foot soldiers as he went to avoid casualties. “Dude, we have to get out of here! Let’s mo – !”

 

“ _NO._ ”

 

His voice had boomed with such baritone and ferocity that everything just... stopped. The soldiers paused, the screaming died, and everything went quiet.

 

Donnie leaned in very close, his face neutral. “Let me make this explicitly clear to you. I am not leaving this building until she’s safe. And if I do, it’ll be because I’m _dead_.”

 

Mikey recoiled harshly, worry very quickly etching itself onto his face. But as he opened his mouth to voice his concern, another, shrill tone filled the dense air.

 

“If you’re _dead_ you won’t leave this place. We’ll keep you here. Maybe turn you into one of us if it’s not too late.” Katrin, who had perched herself on the railing of the catwalk overheard, strolled casually along the length of the room, a smirk playing lightly on her lips.

 

Mikey looked up, his heart swelling painfully. “Kat...”

 

“What’d they do to you?” Raph stepped up to join his aching brothers, his own heart clenching.

 

She looked down upon them as if they were pesky insects, scrutinizing and deciding if they were worth a swat. Her eyes burned a fierce radioactive green as she watched them stand ready, watched their weapon hands, and looked all three of them in the eye. She squinted a little more as each one refused to look away from her, refused to submit to her power, refused to _leave._

 

The pores of her skin had never ceased their subtle twinkling, but the color shifted from a sickly green to an angry red. Her pupils dilated as the green in her irises darkened with the flecks of color on her skin. “Would you like me to show you?”

 

There was no pause for an answer, she just mentally located the nearest electrical outlet and phased through it, a rushing smack echoing as the air filled the space where she suddenly wasn’t. A fluorescent light high on the ceiling exploded in a shower of glass and she dived head first at Raphael.

 

He spread his stance wide and braced for impact, his hands empty and ready to snag her. But he wasn’t prepared for her to grab one of his hands, plant her feet on his chest, twist her body around his arm, push back onto the floor, and fling his hulking mass over her head and about six feet in the air. He rolled once, stunned, and looked back up as he regained his footing.

 

The moment she sensed the other two reacting the tips of her fingers prickled with light, and she whirled over her right shoulder at Mikey, sending a spray of deadly photonic bullets straight for his chest. She watched him react, and he caught the worst of them along his right arm, where red welts formed around bleeding little holes peppered along his skin.

 

Raph’s scream of caution went unnoticed as Donatello simply lunged for her, his staff braced across his chest to block. Katrin met his stride, grabbed his staff at the midpoint, and flung him head over feet the same she’d done to Raph. But she’d pulled the weapon from his hands on his way to the ground, hefted it into a proper hold, and swung the end of it against his head.

 

* * *

 

Donatello’s hearing came back to him in a muffled wave of thick sound and jumbled words. People around him were talking, not to him, maybe to each other. Arguing? He couldn’t tell.

 

He opened his eyes blearily, his breathing ragged and stiff as his muscles fought against him. The smell of the sewer suddenly invaded his nose and he became very agitated. They were home, but he had so many questions.

 

“Sh sh, he’s waking up.”

 

“What are we gonna tell him?”

 

“Quiet, my sons.”

 

“He’s gonna be pissed.”

 

Donnie was on the floor of the living room back at their home. His brothers were sitting beside him, and his father was looming over him worriedly. He could hear someone else off to the side on the couch, but he couldn’t see them.

 

“Wh... what happened?” he rasped, forcing himself up onto his elbows. April was on the couch with Vern, crying. “Where’s Katrin?”

 

No one spoke.

 

He furrowed his brow and asked again.

 

His brothers looked away, Raph was clearly the angriest.

 

“We... we left her there?” Donnie panted, shaking his head. “You mean she’s still...? But we... How did I...?”

 

Mikey hunched his shoulders, his right arm wrapped in bloodied white bandages. “She clunked you in the head pretty good, dude. Knocked you out for almost an hour.”

 

Donnie continued to shake his head. “You mean...?”

 

Raph huffed. “She kicked our asses, Don. _Good._ We had no idea what we were up against, we didn’t stand a damn chance.”

 

“We had to leave,” Leo sighed soberly, finally looking his brother in the eye. “But I promise you, this isn’t over.”

 

Suddenly Donatello was very upset at the idea that they’d just left poor defenseless little Katrin all by herself at Shredder’s mercy. Not only was it rude, but she was family, that just wouldn’t do. “The hell is isn’t, I’m going back.” He rocked himself to his feet and staggered.

 

Raph stood and took his brother by the shoulders, keeping him in place. “We can’t, Don. Not yet.”

 

“Fuck off, I’m going,” the other drawled.

 

Mikey winced. “Something’s telling me she got Don a little harder in the head that we thought. He should probably lay back down.”

 

Donatello glared at his youngest brother and struggled uselessly against his biggest. But it was evident to everyone that he simply wasn’t capable to fighting. His footing was bad and he was shaking, and his eyes were having trouble focusing on anything. Before he could snap back at Michelangelo, or shove Raph away from him, he was back on the ground in a dizzying motion, inky black bleeding into his vision.

 

* * *

 

When Donatello woke up his head was clear. His muscles howled and burned, but his wasn’t fighting his equilibrium, and he remembered everything.

 

He remembered the sick feeling he got watching her change. The helplessness he felt when chasing after her. The anger he directed at Karai and Leo. The confusion of the fight when Katrin had bested his brothers and sent them home.

 

And while he was still feeling all of those things all at once, he added another emotion to the list. Pure, unbridled determination. As far as he was concerned, there was absolutely no one and nothing that was going to stand in his way of saving her and bringing her home. Certainly not the Foot Clan, and certainly not his family.

 

Whether they were with him or against him any step of the way.

 

He rose to his feet, quickly and easily, and marched hotly into the dojo with quiet fury behind his eyes. His fists were clenched, and he noted vaguely that he’d been stripped of his gear and staff. As he stood in the doorway, all eyes shifted to him flatly – except for Mikey, who looked nervous.

 

Leo opened his mouth first. “Donnie, before you go crazy and storm out the door, you really should –“

 

Donnie glared and quickly interjected. “If I were you, I’d listen first, because I have something to say. When I’m finished, you can say whatever you feel you need to.”

 

The other two brothers blinked and kept quiet, Leo set his jaw and waited. Master Splinter waited silently at the back of the room.

 

“Maybe there wasn’t a way for us to bring her back safely, and maybe it was best that we got out of there before any of us got killed. But I want all of you to know that from now on, until she’s here safe, getting Katrin home will be my primary objective. I’ll continue to train, here, but I won’t be leaving for missions or routine surveillance unless it’s beyond absolutely necessary. Otherwise, the next time I leave the lair, it’ll be because I have a plan to get her back and it’s ready to be set into motion.” He paused, looked at his brothers individually, and then finished. “Perhaps I should apologize in advance for my behavior, but unless your needs suit my objective, I won’t cooperate. However, I explicitly welcome any and all help you’re willing to give me.”

 

There was silence for a few eternal seconds, no one spoke, moved, or otherwise batted an eyelash. Splinter seemed to blend further into the background. After a grueling handful of seconds, Raph and Mikey exchanged looks, and then turned their eyes to Leo, expecting him to speak first.

 

Leonardo closed his eyes briefly, and thought carefully over his words. He exhaled evenly, and responded, “I understand your reasoning, and I think I can speak for all of us when I say we’ll be more than willing to help you. However, because you’re part of this team, I personally might fight you to participate and I’m prepared to get physical if I think you’re beyond the boundaries of what I deem acceptable defiance.”

 

Donatello nodded in acknowledgement, then turned to look at Raph.

 

The hulking mass of turtle hunched his shoulders, rolled them once, and sighed. “You know I’m with ya, ‘cause if it was April I’d act the same damn way. They got my sister, so I got your back.” He then turned to eye Leo wearily. “If you interfere with Donnie I’m prepared to fight you, but what else is new, right?”

 

Leo nodded, a ghostly hint of a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

 

When Donnie looked at Mikey, the other jerked in surprise at the intensity of his stare. “Look, brah, she’s family, I get it. And I’m with you every step of the way.” He paused, his eyes flicking nervously between Raph and Leo. “But if you guys start fighting over it I’m not picking sides this time. Sometimes I think Leo’s right, but Donnie is also really scary right now, so I’ll probably just hang back when shit starts goin’ down.”

 

Leo didn’t seem to flinch or otherwise look surprised at his little brother’s stance on the matter. Raph might have smirked to himself, but all that Donnie cared about what that Mikey would most likely attempt to stay out of the way during conflict.

 

Donatello swept his eyes over each of his brothers one last time, waiting for any further comment, and nodded once. As he turned to leave the room, Master Splinter quietly followed him out, his tail swishing gently against the damp concrete.

 

The rat waited patiently in the hallway and watched his agitated son mill about the kitchen to make coffee. His eyes moved with the turtle’s hands, having always been fascinated with their dexterity, and wondered vaguely if he saw them shake faintly. When the coffee pot began to heat and sputter, Splinter stepped softly onto the tile and folded his hands into the sleeves of his robe.

 

Donnie expected the other to approach him, but he hadn’t jumped or shown any signs of being startled. Instead, he very subtly turned his back to reach into the top cupboard for a mug.

 

Splinter narrowed his eyes, took a silent step to one side, and whipped his tail across Donnie upper left thigh. Then he took a calculated step back and waited for the other to hiss and right himself again, but his son never attempted to make eye contact. “You should be weary of facing this problem in such a state of disassociation. I fear you will miss critical details.”

 

The turtle grit his teeth and slid the mug next to the coffee pot, then rested the bottom of his shell against the counter and gripped the edge with both hands. He may have loomed over his father, but the feeling didn’t always translate, and he ducked his head and stared off to the side.

 

The rat shook his head. “You know that whatever is left of Katrin is desperately dependent on you, my son. If you do not go into this with a clear mind, you cannot expect to find a solution.”

 

Donatello chewed his lips a snorted. “Whatever’s left, huh? Because we’re going to assume they’ve fucked up her mind so bad that no matter what, she’ll never be the same?”

 

Splinter sighed and shook his head slowly. “I have always taught you to hope for the best and prepare for the worst. If there has ever been an opportunity to put theory into practice, it is now.”

 

Perhaps he wasn’t aware of it, but the sullen look of disgust was enough to have his father sigh and shake his head. “Look, I already have to be prepared to keep her locked up when we do get her, because I’m not going to bet that I can undo whatever’s in her head from here. If I can find a silver lining I’ll let you know.”

 

The coffee pot ceased its gurgling, sputtered one last time, and went quiet. Donnie filled his cup, shifted to walk away, paused, and took the coffee pot with him as a last ditch effort to make it clear that the conversation was over. He shouldered out of the kitchen and disappeared into his lab, closing the large metal door behind him with a decisive _sha-thunk_.

 

The first thing Donnie did was clean off the large metal table in the middle of the room, very slowly and methodically putting every little gadget or scrap in its place on and under the tables against the walls of the room. It took him most of half an hour to clear off and polish the surface of the table. He then spent another half an hour gathering supplies and organizing them back onto the table, drawing lines on the edges of the metal with sharpie to plan where to put restraints.

 

Leo opened the door when Donnie was cutting into the metal where he was going to attach thick fabric straps, knowing he’d have to be prepared to force Katrin down. He kept his face neutral the whole time, even as he saw his brother out of the corner of his eye.

 

“Hey Donnie,” Leo said gently, looking wearily at the table.

 

“Leo.” Donnie never stopped working.

 

Leo cleared his throat and flexed the knuckles of his loosely closed fist. He stepped fully into the lab and closed the door as much as he could without the locking mechanism clicking shut. “I uh, I brought you something.”

 

Donnie paused, his hands hovering over the table, and turned his head just enough to meet Leo’s eyes. “Yeah?”

 

There was a moment where Leo shifted his eyes around the room, then his closed hand rested on the table and he let go of the flash drive they’d gotten from Karai. “I don’t know what’s on it, other than Sachs’s notes. But Karai seemed pretty confident that you could make sense of it.”

 

For a few deathly silent seconds neither moved nor spoke, until Donnie snagged the drive off the table and whirled to the computer behind him. He sat, plugged in the drive, and otherwise seemed to forget his brother was still in the room.

 

The leader didn’t take it personally, but had Donnie turned back around, he would’ve seen a sickening flash of worry etch itself briefly all over his face. But he didn’t turn around, noticing only when the door finally did shut behind him. Then he was left alone to work.

 

For four days Donatello lived in his lab. For four days April spent time with Splinter and the other boys. For Four days they fought over, bitched about, and argued with each other trying to come up with a rescue plan. For four days, they got nowhere.

 

“Leo this is bullshit! Why the fuck are we still standin’ around here? We should be at that damn mansion takin’ some _heads_!” Raph rolled his shoulders and snarled as he paced back and forth in the living room of the den.

 

Leo, April, and Michelangelo each sat on one side of a large city map, which had been marked up with various sharpie colors for multiple plans and back up plans, all failures. Mikey hunched over the map, studying it carefully, Leo massaged his temples, and April watched Raph huff and puff with anger.

 

“Raph, we don’t even know that she’s still here. They could have moved her,” Leo said, not opening his eyes.

 

The other snorted harshly. “Or they could have killed her. _Think_ Leo, the longer she’s with them, the worse off she is. I can’t just sit around an’ wait for it to be too late.”

 

Mikey shook his head slowly. “Don’s been in the lab for days, I feel like he should have come up with something by now. I haven’t even seen him come out to eat. What do you think he’s doin’ in there anyways?”

 

At this Leo huffed and lowered his hands. “Whatever it is, it’s _not_ cooperating with us to come up with a plan.”

 

Raph nearly hurled himself at Leo, who quickly got to his feet to block his head from a heavy kick. The biggest turtle looked absolutely infuriated. “How could you _say_ that! Don’s probably workin’ his ass off to try and find her!”

 

Leo braced his arms and caught Raph’s fists as they came down on him. He gave a little in the knees to move with the blows, but never let up his iron brace. “If Donnie wanted to help find her, he should be out here! So far, we don’t have shit, there’s no way for us to get to her and get her out without serious injury, and we’re no good to her dead!”

 

Raph only pushed against his brother harder, hunching his shoulders to try and force Leo towards the ground. “And what the fuck use would it be to bring her back here without knowing how to fix her, _huh_? What are we gonna do, lock her up until Donnie finds a cure?”

 

At this point, Mikey had had enough. He rose, not swiftly or slowly, and forced his brothers apart, glaring at the both of them. “Hey hey! This is getting out of hand, guys. We’re not gonna get _anywhere_ if you two keep this up. Haven’t you figured that out already? Sure, maybe we would’ve had a better rescue plan by now if Donnie was out here. But I think Raph’s right too, we can’t go get her without knowing what to _do_ with her.” He stood his ground between them very pointedly, looking back and forth with his lips pressed together.

 

April sighed. “Mikey’s right.”

 

A few short moments of silence reigned, then the lab door burst open and slammed back against the concrete wall with a thick crunching sound. Donatello emerged, high strung with wide, bloodshot eyes, his hands shaking terribly.

 

“I found her. She’s at the TCRI building.”


End file.
